Navi Mumbai: To ensure that newborns deprived of their mother’s milk due to health complications receive proper nutrition, the city is set to get its first government-run human milk bank at Meenatai Thackeray Hospital in Nerul. The facility, whose construction began around November 2025, is now in its final stages and is expected to be ready within a month. The project, being implemented through CSR funding, is estimated to cost around Rs 4 crore.
Surplus Milk from Lactating Mothers to Be Collected and Processed
Once operational, surplus breast milk donated by lactating mothers will be collected, processed and supplied to the storage Bank that is being constructed at the fourth floor of Meenatai Thackeray Hospital. The primary source of the milk would be the mothers who would be delivering in NMMC run hospitals at Vashi, Airoli and Nerul. They would be first counselled and after they consent to, they would undergo screening before accepting the milk. The milk would be supplied to the civic hospitals in Vashi and Airoli and Nerul, based on their daily requirements. Dedicated collection machinery will be installed at these hospitals, and the milk will be transported in portable cold storage units to the Nerul facility for further processing.
The milk bank will have a storage capacity of 160 litres at a time. Collected milk will be stored at temperatures between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius and will undergo culture testing before being preserved. After reaching the Nerul centre, the milk will be pasteurised and stored and later indirectly heated before being fed to infants. The milk will be administered to newborns using feeding tubes or through spoon and bowl methods, depending on medical requirements.
Mothers to Be Counselled, Women from Outside Can Also Donate
"Mothers will be counselled before donating milk, and proper screening protocols will be followed. Women from outside the hospital will also be allowed to donate after undergoing necessary medical screening. The collected milk will be stored in sterile vials under strict safety standards," Dr Uddhav Khillare, incharge of the Nerul hospital, said. The project was started under the guidance of Medical Officer Dr Prashant Jawade who retired last month and now is being foreseen by Dr Rajesh Mhatre.
“In many cases, formula milk had to be used when mothers were unable to breastfeed. With this facility, we aim to gradually eliminate the need for formula feed and promote exclusive breast milk for newborns,” said Dr Khillare. He added that even in the NICU, efforts are being made to encourage mothers to breastfeed, when she is unable to, formula was being fed but now it would be replaced with mother's milk itself. This initiative would make all NMMC run mother-child hospitals, a baby-friendly hospital. He noted that the facility would be particularly beneficial for critically ill newborns in NICUs.
Nerul Hospital Records 350 to 400 Deliveries Per Month
Meenatai Thackeray Hospital records around 350 to 400 deliveries per month while Airoli and Vashi hospitals handle approximately 300 deliveries.
Officials said that after the successful implementation of the Nerul milk bank, a similar facility will be planned at the Vashi hospital. In the next phase, the civic body also plans to introduce a system where working women can store their expressed breast milk at the bank and retrieve it when required.
Breast milk is considered the most beneficial for strengthening immunity and overall health of newborns, and the initiative is expected to significantly improve neonatal care across Navi Mumbai.
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