Where milk of love abounds

SURAT: Many new born babies, who otherwise would have gone without mother's milk, are getting their fill, thanks to a unique concept - Yashoda. Like blood, mother's milk donation camps are being organized regularly in the city.
Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education and Research (SMIMER ) is the only organization that runs a mother's milk bank in the country."There are about 15 mother's milk banks in different parts of the country. They are run by trusts. We are unique as we organize milk donation camps in which mothers from different sections of the society take part," said Dr Poonam Singh, in-charge of Yashoda at municipal-run SMIMER.
More and more women willingly donate their milk to save the life of someone else's child. At present, Yashoda collects nearly 46 litres of mother's milk in a year.
Thirty-year-old Divya Patel rushed to a private hospital all the way from Varachha on Ring Road on receiving news that a newborn needed mother's milk urgently. This baby had born through surrogacy. The surrogate mother had left the hospital and the child's mother was unable to feed the baby.
"Mothers from different mandals rush in to help whenever required," said Rashmika Patel, president of Umiya Mahila Mandal. This mandal has tied up with Yashoda. On an average, every day four mothers donate their milk to project Yashoda.
"You can donate blood every three months, but in the case of mother's milk, you can give it every day only if you have it," said Rashmika Patel.