Islamabad: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has cleared a draft law for establishing a human milk bank in Sindh, expressing satisfaction over the proposed legislation while recommending improvements, a move that is expected to pave the way for providing breast milk to vulnerable infants who cannot be fed by their mothers.
The decision was taken at the council’s 245th meeting chaired by Allama Raghib Hussain Naeemi, where members reviewed the draft bill prepared by the Sindh health department and discussed its compliance with Islamic principles.
A senior official in the Sindh health department said the draft legislation had been prepared in light of earlier guidance from the CII and shared with the council for review.
“The council has now expressed satisfaction and offered suggestions for further improvement, which effectively removes a key obstacle in setting up a human milk bank in the province,” the official said.
The proposed milk bank is aimed at supporting infants in critical need of breast milk, particularly those whose mothers have died during childbirth, are seriously ill, or are unable to breastfeed due to medical complications.
Health experts say such infants are among the most vulnerable and face a significantly higher risk of infections, malnutrition and death without access to human milk.
In Pakistan, where neonatal mortality remains high, the absence of regulated human milk banks has long been a concern for paediatricians and neonatologists.
In many cases, infants are fed formula milk as a substitute, but experts stress that formula does not provide the same level of nutrition, antibodies and protection against infections as breast milk, especially for premature and low birth weight babies.
The establishment of human milk banks in the country has, however, remained a sensitive issue due to religious concerns surrounding the concept of “milk kinship,” which in Islam establishes familial bonds between children who are breastfed by the same woman and can have implications for marriage.
These concerns had previously led to resistance from religious quarters and delayed efforts to introduce such facilities in Pakistan. Officials said the latest draft law seeks to address these issues by incorporating strict documentation, traceability and record-keeping mechanisms to ensure that the identity of donors and recipients is properly maintained, thereby preventing any complications related to lineage.
“The involvement of the CII and its satisfaction over the draft is a significant development. It shows that a workable framework has been developed to balance religious considerations with public health needs,” the Sindh health official said.
Health experts have long argued that access to screened and safely stored donor milk could save the lives of hundreds of infants every year, particularly those admitted to neonatal intensive care units. Countries around the world have established regulated human milk banks as part of maternal and child health programmes, but Pakistan has lagged behind due to the absence of a clear legal and religious framework.
With the CII’s clearance and proposed refinements, the Sindh government is now expected to move ahead with the legislative process for establishing a human milk bank, potentially making it the first province in the country to introduce such a facility under an agreed religious and regulatory framework.
Officials said the development could open the door for similar initiatives in other provinces, offering a lifeline to newborns who are unable to receive their mother’s milk and remain at high risk during the earliest and most critical days of life.
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