Danang opens first breast milk donation bank

The bank, which will collect, sort and pasteurize breast milk from donors, plans to ship it throughout the country to premature babies who are most in need.

Nguyen Duc Vinh from the Ministry of Health told reporters that women who go into premature labour are often facing a stressful situation and their bodies are not ready to start producing milk.

Vinh said there are an estimated 3-4 thousand babies that are born prematurely throughout the country each year and that the bank is already seeing a great deal of interest by women who are calling to donate or ask about donating.

Donors will not be paid, noted Vinh, and they have to fit strict criteria including not consuming tobacco or milk enhancers, which have been shown to reduce blood sugar levels in premature infants.

Vinh added that research shows that human milk provides the best nutrition for babies and protects against numerous life-threatening infections, especially in vulnerable preterm infants.

Establishing the Danang bank has been a true labour of love for our team, said Vinh, noting the bank is committed to improving the health and survival of babies in need by providing safe pasteurised donor human milk when their own mother’s milk is not available.