Dusseldorf. In North Rhine-Westphalia there should be more human milk banks to care for premature babies. That’s why the country is investing around 500 thousand euros in creating this type of offers. Clinics with level 1 perinatal centers, where the smallest premature babies are cared for, can each receive up to €60,000 in funding.
The state Ministry of Health reports that NRW is making resources available for investment in the facilities and equipment of human milk banks, such as refrigerators or electric breast pumps.
“With this funding, we are helping more hospitals in North Rhine-Westphalia to create human milk banks, thus significantly improving the care provided to little ones”, says Minister of Health Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU).
The science is clear on this issue, he emphasizes. “The fact that premature babies are fed human milk is crucial to their health and development – in some cases even essential to their survival.”
In North Rhine-Westphalia, six of the approximately 40 perinatal care level 1 centers currently have a human milk bank. (eat)