December 19, 2016, New Delhi – The Amaara Milk Bank, Fortis La Femme, won the Silver Award (Runner Up) in the category of Health CSR of the Year, at The India Health and Wellness Summit & Awards, 2016, 3rd Annual Edition. The awards ceremony held in capital recently in media partnership with Times NOW, was inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Agriculture.
Amaara milk bank is an initiative by Breast Milk Foundation in collaboration with Fortis LaFemme, as these two come together in an effort to provide Donor human milk for sick and premature babies whose mothers are unable to lactate. Amaara, one of its kind, by the fact that it is a public milk bank, i.e the donor human milk from the bank is not only used by babies born in our hospital, but distributed to any premature baby born in any Delhi/NCR Hospitals is the only milk bank in India which operates a collection and delivery system.
The India Health & Wellness Summit and Awards brings together decision-makers, innovators, and influencers from the government, industry, the non-profit sector, to discuss the opportunities and challenges to health. The awards recognize and celebrate excellence by honoring the efforts of those organizations and individuals, whose work over the past year, has taken us that much closer to the vision of a healthy India.
‘’We have pioneered a collection system in which a mother can express the milk in the comfort of her home, a carrier from the bank will collect the milk in specialized freezer boxes and transport it to the bank. Also the pasteurized and frozen milk is then delivered from the bank to any hospital in the Delhi/NCR region, whenever a premature baby needs it!’’ said Ms. Anika Parashar, COO Fortis La Femme.
The award was received by Dr Raghuram Mallaiah, Director, Neonatology, Fortis La Femme said, “Many mothers of vulnerable, hospitalized babies are unable to breastfeed feed them. In addition, many mothers due to their own weak health or other reasons are not able to generate sufficient milk for their babies. For all of them, pasteurized donor milk is recommended as an essential alternative. The Milk Bank is a proven solution to save the lives of the most medically fragile new borns against life-threatening illnesses, serious infections and other complications related to pre-term birth.”
Dr. Ankit Srivastava, Director, BMF, in a statement said, “Both BMF and Fortis La Femme have come together in this remarkable peerless initiative to lend a hand to those high risk newborns who are unable to receive the nurturing care a mother provides. It hopes to protect these preterm babies from any further harm and suffering that formula milk poses to their delicate condition. The sole purpose of this initiative is to facilitate high quality care to the early newborns along with its noble vision to grant charity with the assistance of GNS Foundation”.
The award was given by Shri Radha Mohan Singh, the Union Minister of State for Agriculture.
About Fortis La Femme
Fortis La Femme is a unique facility, inspired by the core belief that a woman is a very special person with special needs. Medical care at the hospital includes Obstetrics (Painless Labor), Gynecology, Neonatology (Level III NICU), Anesthesia, General & Laparoscopic Surgery, Cosmetic Surgeries and Genetic & Fetal Medicine. Fortis La Femme provides comprehensive clinical and holistic care designed just for women which covers every stage of a woman’s life from birth, adolescence, motherhood, to menopause and beyond. Its patient-sensitive services are provided in a world-class facility with a discreetly elegant ambience laden with value-added conveniences. In the year 2010, the hospital got NABH accreditation, and was successfully re-accredited in 2013. It was adjudged winner of Most Popular Maternity Hospital award by Child Magazine in 2013. Fortis La Femme was also ranked No. 5 in Top Gynecological Hospitals in India (No. 1 Private Gynecological Hospital in North India) in Nielsen Survey 2015 conducted by THE WEEK magazine.