A groundbreaking public-private healthcare collaboration has launched a vital new initiative to provide a lifeline for newborn babies in intensive care, ensuring they receive the donated breast milk they depend on so heavily.
“Breast milk is crucial for giving compromised newborns the healthiest possible start in life and is urgently needed in public sector neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Mothers often live far away and for various reasons may be unable to provide their babies with breastmilk,” notes Verena Bolton, a neonatal nurse and national coordinator of Netcare Ncelisa human milk banks.
“Our partnership to provide the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital NICU with donated breast milk from our milk banks began in 2019 and is now being advanced further as a turnkey project with the implementation of an on-site milk bank at the hospital.
|
“This will enable the management of the full process on site, from donor recruitment and testing to breastmilk collection, processing and pasteurising, and storage, significantly enhancing the efficiencies of the project and its impact,” she adds.
Qudsiyah Kassim, a registered dietician who manages newborn nutrition in the hospital’s NICU, explains that premature and low birth weight babies have unique dietary needs due to their immature digestive systems, which affects their ability to digest anything other than breastmilk.
“Babies in our NICU whose digestive system may not be fully developed and who already have complications, are at risk for additional health challenges if they are fed with formula at this stage, further compromising them. Breastmilk, on the other hand, helps to prevent infections and other complications while giving them the nutrients they need. A significant difference can be noted between the health of compromised babies who receive breast milk and those who don’t.
“We are, however, faced with the reality that so many of our mothers have logistical and financial challenges preventing them from coming in and feeding their baby when it is required. That is where safe donated breast milk makes all the difference – it is truly a lifesaver for so many of our tiny patients,” she explains.
“We are thrilled to be a partner in the first Netcare Ncelisa milk bank in a public sector hospital. Taking a more hands-on approach to the project empowers us to proactively engage our community around donated breast milk,” says Kassim.
|
Bolton adds that the project has benefited 628 babies at Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital to date, and this new on-site development promises to help countless more.
“While the new milk bank will operate at the hospital itself, our collaboration with the facility will continue, with Netcare providing the neccesary equipment and disposables. The milk bank will be managed by a Netcare trained milk handler and will be audited by Netcare, keeping it in line with the auditing processes of our established milk banks,” she notes.
“Through the five national Netcare Ncelisa milk banks and numerous collection points at our hospitals, Netcare has long distributed safe donated breast milk and has fed well over 4000 babies since the establishment of Netcare Ncelisa human milk banks in 2017.
“This collaboration with Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital is a testament to Netcare’s ongoing commitment to supporting babies and their families in the public sector, and we aim to see many more positive outcomes from collaborations such as this,” she says.
Kassim concludes by thanking all those who have donated breast milk so far and invites any women wishing to donate breast milk directly to Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital to kindly contact the dietitans department on 011 470 9245 for more information about the application and testing process, which is in place to ensure the safety of donated breast milk.
Ends
Notes to editor
Experience seamless healthcare access with the Netcare App. Enjoy convenient healthcare anytime, anywhere, with expert medical care at your fingertips. Book appointments, consult with GPs virtually and manage pre-admissions all in one place. From emergency response services with geolocation to seamless admission, discover a new level of care. Download the Netcare App today.
Alternatively, contact Netcare Appointmed on 0860 555 565, Mondays to Fridays, 08:00 to 17:00 to make an appointment with a therapist, doctor or specialist practising at a Netcare hospital, Netcare Medicross or Netcare Akeso facility near you.
For media enquiries, contact MNA at the contact details listed below.
Issued by: MNA on behalf of Netcare
For media enquiries contact: Martina Nicholson, Meggan Saville, Estene Lotriet-Vorster or Clementine Forsthofer
Telephone: (011) 469 3016
Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]