Hong Kong’s first breast milk bank, which provides for newborns requiring intensive care at public hospitals, has collected more than 300 litres (79.3 gallons) from more than 100 donors since launching in January.
Director Dr Rosanna Wong Ming-sum of Hong Kong Breast Milk Bank said on Sunday that the donor numbers are “beyond expectations”, but appealed for more donations for what she called the “gift of life.”
The bank has started distributing donated milk to newborns at all nine of the Hospital Authority’s neonatal intensive care units from this month.
“The first priority of using this milk are those babies who are born under 32 weeks of gestation, or with a birthweight less than 1.5kg (3.3lbs),” Wong said.
“Other babies who require the milk will be those who have severe diseases like congenital heart disease, or after a gastrointestinal operation.”
She added that if the bank could gather more donations, milk could be given to less premature babies, or even full-term babies with special needs.