Rotary to setup Human Milk Bank in Mohali
Rotary Club of Chandigarh and the Dr B R Ambedkar State institute of Medical Sciences, AIMS Mohali signed an memorandum of understanding here today to setup a not-for-profit human milk bank.
The MoU was signed by Dr Bhavneet Bharti, Director of the AIMS and Rtn Anil Chadda, President of Rotary Club Chandigarh to setup this unique facility.
Rtn Anil Chadda informed that this would be a boon to pre-term born babies that require human milk, and we have named this project as Rotary Hope Project.
He informed that a philanthropist from Yamunanagar Subhash Garg who is a past district governor in Rotary has contributed Rs. 31 Lakh for setting up the plant and equipment for this project in Mohali.
Dr. Bhavneet Bharti informed that there is a dire need for human milk especially for the preterm babies (born before 37 weeks of gestation) and their number is believed to be 3.5 million every year.
In this region, we too have similar requirements because donor human milk is protective against many serious diseases like neonatal sepsis, neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis( NNEC), Dr. Bharti said.
The milk is obtained from donor mothers voluntarily, which will be preserved and pasteurised to be used within three months, said Dr. Bharti.
Dr. Bharti who herself joined the Rotary Club Chandigarh shared the idea with the Rotarians who came forward and organized a CSR contribution of a corporate body to fund the setting up of the plant.
She informed that the total project cost is about Rs.1 crore for which a seperate block in the institute has already been readied and the equipment will be installed shortly and we hope to open it up within a month or so.
Rotary Club of Chandigarh is in 65 years of its existence in the city and has to its credit setting up of Rotary PGI Serai, state-of-the-art blood bank in Sector 37, a Rotary Vocational Training Centre in Sector 18, international dolls museum in Sector 23, besides having done over 700 free heart surgeries of children, informed Rtn Pres. Anil Chadda.
