Tamil Nadu News

Newborn Care Initiative in Tamil Nadu

November 10 , 2026 15 hrs 0 min 33 0

Tamil Nadu is set to expand access to donor human milk and specialised lactation support for vulnerable new borns.
Lactation Management Units (LMUs) will be established under the National Health Mission.
Tamil Nadu currently has 19 Comprehensive Lactation Management Centres and 35 LMUs in Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs).
During the previous financial year, these facilities collected 12,018 litres of human milk and benefited 82,800 new borns.
The new LMUs will be established at six Government District Headquarters Hospitals:
- Jayankondam – Ariyalur district
- Karaikudi – Sivaganga district
- Paramakudi – Ramanathapuram district
- Kovilpatti – Thoothukudi district
- Tambaram – Chengalpattu district
- Mannargudi – Tiruvarur district
These locations were selected based on the high number of admissions to their Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs) and Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs).
Each LMU will have facilities for collecting, processing, storing and distributing donor human milk.
The initiative aims to support new borns who cannot be directly breastfed by their mothers.
These include low-birthweight and extremely low-birthweight babies, as well as infants whose mothers are seriously ill.
It is expected to reduce dependence on formula feeding, improve nutrition among SNCU and NICU babies, and help lower neonatal morbidity and mortality.