The Human Milk Bank at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has made a passionate appeal to lactating mothers with excess breast milk to voluntarily donate and help save the lives of premature and vulnerable babies across the country.
Dr Ophelia Ganyaglo, a paediatrician at the facility, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said donor breast milk had become a lifeline for several newborns whose mothers were unable to breastfeed due to death, illness, surgery, or inadequate milk production.
She explained that the Human Milk Bank, the first of its kind in Ghana, operates similarly to a blood bank but focuses on collecting, screening, pasteurising, storing, and redistributing donated breast milk to babies in need.
“A human milk bank receives breast milk from healthy lactating mothers who have excess milk beyond what their babies need. The milk is screened, safely stored, pasteurised to eliminate harmful bacteria, and redistributed to vulnerable babies,” she explained.
According to her, although the bank was launched in June 2025, operations officially began in November 2025 after staff training, equipment testing, and operational preparations.
She disclosed that within six months of operation, the bank had successfully recruited eight donor mothers and served 15 babies, including premature infants at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, and the Suhum Government Hospital.
“Eight donors may sound small, but these mothers have donated about 64 litres of breast milk, which has gone a long way to support babies in critical need,” she stated.
Dr Ganyaglo noted that some of the beneficiary babies had mothers who passed away after childbirth, while others were born prematurely and could not immediately access enough milk from their own mothers.
She stressed that breast milk remained the best source of nutrition for newborns, especially preterm babies, because it contains essential nutrients and immune-protective properties that formula feeding could not fully provide.
“Breast milk is liquid gold. It supports growth, protects babies against infections, and improves survival outcomes, especially for premature babies,” she said.
Credit-GNA
