Following the issuance of a new fatwa (religious edict), the Sindh Institute of Child Health & Neonatology (SICHN) has suspended its Human Milk Bank project, the first of its kind in the country.
A SICHN spokesperson announced that the institution would seek further guidance from Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi and the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) regarding this issue.
The country’s first Shariah-compliant Human Milk Bank and Early Childhood Center at SICHN was inaugurated just a few weeks ago by Sindh Health Minister Dr. Azra Pechuho, alongside officials from UNICEF and the Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA). The initiative aimed to provide breast milk to premature infants who could not receive adequate nutrition from their mothers.
Explaining the project’s purpose, the spokesperson stated, “Premature babies, typically born at 34 weeks or less and weighing under 2kg, often cannot receive sufficient breast milk from their mothers to meet their nutritional needs.”
The human milk bank was specifically established to address this challenge.
“Feeding premature babies anything other than breast milk increases their risk of complications, infections, and early death. Therefore, providing them with breast milk is essential to save their lives,” the official elaborated.
To dispel concerns, the SICHN spokesperson clarified that only the milk of Muslim women would be provided to Muslim children and that the service would be free of charge to avoid any perception of commercial transaction.
In December 2023, Darul Uloom Karachi issued a fatwa with conditions that gave the project the necessary religious endorsement to proceed. However, a revised fatwa issued on June 16 has led to the suspension of the Human Milk Bank project. “This decision is in compliance with the updated religious guidance,” the spokesperson concluded.
