Ghana has taken a major step in neonatal healthcare with the opening of its first human milk bank at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC).
The facility aims to provide safe, donated breast milk to newborns,especially preterm and underweight babies, whose mothers are unable to breastfeed.
The initiative encourages healthy lactating mothers to voluntarily donate breast milk. Donors undergo medical screening and counseling to ensure safety and suitability before their milk is collected, processed, and stored for distribution.
The service is offered at no cost to families, although recipients may be asked to pay a nominal processing fee.
Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, praised Professor Cecilia Obeng, the driving force behind the project, describing her efforts as patriotic and timely.
With this development, Ghana joins a handful of African nations,including Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa that have established similar human milk banking systems to improve infant survival and development.
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