Sancti Spíritus, August 4 (RHC)-- A new human milk bank-- the ninth of its kind in Cuba-- will be inaugurated this week at the Camilo Cienfuegos Hospital in Sancti Spíritus.

In statements to reporters, Dr. Roberto Álvarez Fumero, head of the Public Health Ministry’s Maternal and Infant Department, said that the main objective is to improve survival rates of newborns with congenital anomalies and those suffering from malnutrition in the early stages of life.

Breast milk banks are also located in hospitals in Pinar del Río, Havana, Matanzas, Las Tunas, Granma, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo, he noted.

Last year 3,019 Cuban women donated breast milk, for a total of 738 liters, which benefited 1,285 newborns.