Vietnam Opens 1st Breast Milk Bank under Support of Foreign NGOs

A human milk bank, the first of its kind in Vietnam, is made debut on Feb 17 at Danang Hospital for Women and Children located in the central coastal city of Danang thanks for the support of some foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The bank will work under the financial support by the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation (MACF) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and technical support from PATH Foundation and Alive & Thrive, an organization funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the governments of Canada and Ireland. Equipped with advanced equipment and working in line with the international standards, the bank aims to take care of and support the treatment of roughly 4,000 at-risk infants annually. The operations of the bank are necessary to bring life-saving technology to thousands of infants each year in the country whose mortality rate for children under 5 years of age remains high, at 22 deaths per 1,000 live births. This means that more than 33,000 children in Vietnam die before their fifth birthday annually. The human milk bank is expected to improve the situation as it has the greatest potential impact on child survival. It is the most natural and best-suited option for babies, fostering strength, a healthy metabolism, and a robust immune system. Ramona Byrkit, PATH’s Mekong regional director, said that with human milk bank, the foundations need to manage it to ensure no baby is left behind. (An Ninh Thu – Capital Security Do Feb 17, Lao Dong – Labor Feb 17, Dai Doan Ket – Great Unity Feb 17)