Internet of Things Application in South African Breast Milk Banks

This paper presents an Internet of Things solution that will aid the Western Cape Department of Health Milk Bank operations and contribute to the broader goals of maternal and child health, in alignment with MomConnect and the Sustainable Development Goals. Currently, the milk banks which store donated human breastmilk do not have mechanisms to monitor and view the storage room's conditions (temperature and humidity), the logistics of the milk containers, and a way to access real-time statistics on stock levels and location. The goal of this project is to solve the issues that are faced by the milk banks by implementing a system that will allow the milk banks to monitor conditions, provide real-time stock levels and locations, provide a way for the milk banks to track donated milk, and a way for the milk banks to request milk from each other. By leveraging modern Internet of Things technologies, this solution promises to automate and complement Milk Bank operations in the Western Cape. It offers the potential to enhance the quality and safety of donated breastmilk, improve the efficiency of milk bank logistics, and ultimately contribute to better healthcare outcomes for vulnerable infants.