Gujarat's first ever milk bank set up in Kashiba Gordhanbhai Children hospital here at Karelibagh here has come to the rescue to many new born babies, who are deprived of breastfeeding due to several factors.

Dr Arun Phatak, who took a lead in setting up this human milk bank in this hospital, said the initiative became necessary after direct breast feeding became nearly impossible to several new borns due to many medical factors such as cesarean deliveries and in many cases when infants are abandoned or are orphaned due to maternal deaths.

Since its set up on June 4, 2000, the bank has been helping score of little children to get mother's milk, irrespective of class, religion and creed, Dr Jayant Doshi, Hospital Superintendent told PTI today.

About 328 litres of breast milk was collected in 2009 and 905 babies benefited from it, he said.

Explaining the procedure, Dr Bakulesh Chauhan, Head of the children unit in the hospital said, "At a human milk bank, breastmilk is collected, pasteurised, tested for any microbes of diseases and then stored in a freezer at -20 degrees centigrade."

"A strict procedure is adhered to in the collection and dissemination of the milk. All the standard scientific prescribed procedures are followed before giving this milk to new born babies," he said.

The in-house new mothers are the donors of the bank. All efforts are made to convince lactating mothers to dispel doubts and misgivings about the process. The nurses always manage to convince mothers to donate milk during their stay in the hospital, Chauhan informed.

He said the milk bank assumes even greater significance in the light of breastfeeding week observed from August 1-7.