The University Clinical Center of the Republika Srpska entity opened the first Human Milk Bank in Bosnia, on Monday.

This is the first health institution of this kind in in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the project cost 1.5 million Bosnian marks (some €750,000). Along with this project, a completely reconstructed Clinic for Children's Diseases was also opened.

“In recent years, we have been getting more and more prematurely born children with very low birth weight. This is the first human milk bank in BiH and one of the few in the area. Pharmaceutical companies can make any artificial substitution, but nothing can replace mother's milk,” said Vladimir Mirosljevic, the head of the Clinic for Children's Diseases of the RS University Hospital.

He pointed out that the milk will be collected according to the protocols drawn up by the Pediatrics and Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinics, after which the milk goes through the pasteurization process, freezing to a certain temperature and then, depending on the needs of the children, it will be heated to a certain temperature.

“As for other hospitals, we are not able to transport breast milk, but we are able to receive such children and enable them to consume breast milk,” Mirosljevic said.

The human milk bank was equipped at the initiative of the Association of Parents of prematurely born children “Mrvice” (“Crumbs”) from Banja Luka. The vice-president of the Association, Amela Filipovic, pointed out that human milk is food, but also medicine, and that this is a big day for all parents.