18.04.2025

The Center for Perinatology and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery in Almaty has launched an individual breast milk bank — a unique project aimed at saving lives of the most vulnerable patients: premature and seriously ill newborn children who cannot receive natural nutrition directly from their mother. The project was initiated by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan and is the first in the country.

The Project has been implemented with the assistance of AYALA Charity Foundation which has provided the breast milk bank with all necessary equipment: clinical breast pumps, comfortable chairs, medical furniture, freezer, thermo pot and other accessories. Philips donated sterilizers, bottle warmers, manual breast pumps, baby bottles and breast milk storage bags to the bank.

«Last year, 694 premature babies were born in our Center. We nursed 37 children with an extremely low body weight less than 1000 grams, 80 babies were born with a weight less than 1500 grams, and the rest newborns weighed more than 1.5 kilograms. This is a very high flow: about 2 premature babies are admitted to our intensive care unit every day. All of them have to be under the supervision of doctors and medical staff, connected to ventilators and other devices to support their lives there around the clock for many weeks. Therefore, mothers do not have the opportunity to breastfeed them. The individual breast milk bank will help provide such patients with natural and most beneficial nutrition for their health and immunity. This is a very important step in improving the neonatal service of the city of Almaty. It will help our doctors save even more premature babies. I am grateful to AYALA Foundation and Philips for this help,» Gulnara Kaztayevna Nurlanova, the Director of the Center for Perinatology and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, said.

AYALA Charity Foundation has been actively cooperating with the Center for Perinatology and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery in Almaty since its opening. During this time, the Foundation transferred resuscitation and diagnostic equipment to the amount of more than 250 million tenge to the Center. An outstanding achievement was the start of Fetal Surgery in Kazakhstan, which took place at this center in June last year with the support of AYALA.

«Our Foundation is the only Foundation with a specialization in neonatology in Kazakhstan. Over 18 years, we help develop neonatal services all over our country by taking an active part in saving premature newborns. Therefore, we understand the importance of providing children with extremely low body weight with mother milk that is the best nutrition from the moment of birth. Our equipment made it possible to create the first individual breast milk bank. This means that each premature baby will be provided with milk only from his mother and will receive from her all necessary nutrients for survival, support of the immune system and health. The individual breast milk bank is a chance for life for hundreds of babies,» Aidan Suleimenova, the Founder and President of AYALA Charity Foundation, said.

Following Almaty, the Ministry of Health plans to open individual breast milk banks in each Perinatal Center of the country.