The twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad have got their first human milk bank in the form of “Amruta-SDM Rotary Human Milk Bank” set up on the premises of SDM Hospital at Sattur in Dharwad.
On Wednesday, Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D. Veerendra Heggade inaugurated the human milk bank that will cater to the needs of needy patients in the North Karnataka region.
Inaugurating the human milk bank, Veerendra Heggade said that mother’s breast milk is crucial for the proper growth of the child. “Giving breast milk to another woman’s child is not a phenomenon. Such a practice has been in existence for time immemorial. Suppose one mother in a family fell sick, another lactating mother will breast feed such a child. Now, with technological advancements, human milk banks are being established,” he said.
The human milk bank has been set up by SDM Hospital with assistance from Karnataka Vikas Grameena (KVG) Bank and Rotary Club of Seven Hills which have extended help under the Rotary Foundation of the Rotary International Global Grant (Ph: 2232708). Thanking them for the support, Veerendra Heggade felicitated Rotary District Governor Gaurish Dhond, President of Rotary Club of Seven Hills Pallavi Deshpande, Secretary Gauri Madalabhavi and Chairman of KVG Bank P. Gopi Krishna on the occasion.
The human milk bank has been set up on a space of 1,000 sq m and the plan is to extend and add further services in the coming days. In addition to children getting treated at the hospital, the service will be extended to children in need from other hospitals and places.
Vice-Chancellor of SDM University Niranjan Kumar, Principal of SDM College of Medical Sciences Ratnamala M. Desai, Director of Administration Saket Shetty, Vice-Principal Vijay Kulkarni and others were present.
