The city's first breast milk bank – located at the Hong Kong Children's Hospital in Kowloon Bay – will start services on January 6, the Hospital Authority said.

Speaking on an RTHK programme on Thursday, the director of the Hong Kong Breast Milk Bank, Rosanna Wong, said the facility aims to collect 50 to 100 litres of breast milk in its first stage of service, so it can start supplying the milk to premature or critically-ill newborns in nine public hospitals in March when the second stage begins.

“We will ensure the quality of the breast milk. We will conduct checks including screening, microbiological testing, pasteurisation, and nutritional analysis, all under precise temperature control. The processed breast milk will then be eligible to supply to the newborns,” Wong said.

Wong said breast milk is easier for premature newborns to digest, and can reduce the chance of them developing complications due to their early birth.

She hoped the bank could collect around 1,000 litres of breast milk a year in future, benefiting 450 to 600 newborns.

To donate breast milk, Wong said the donor must be healthy, must not smoke nor drink alcohol, and is currently breastfeeding a baby under one year old.

The donor will also have to take a blood test once every three months.

Wong said the facility will provide milk bottles and pouches to the donors.

Donors can store their breast milk in a refrigerator at home before a courier arranged by the facility collects the milk.

The Hong Kong Breastfeeding Mothers’ Association welcomed the launch of the facility, with chairwoman Jacy Chan calling it "a good start".

"It's very helpful for premature or critically-ill newborns because often mothers cannot breastfeed them because of the separation, so having donated breast milk to help these babies would be very good to help with their recovery," she told RTHK.

Chan also said many women are interested in donating breast milk, so it's important to make things easier for prospective donors.

"For mothers who are giving birth or have given birth at private hospitals, they have to go to the Children's Hospital in Kai Tak, so it's a little bit inconvenient sometimes for these mothers.

"Also, the questionnaire and the blood test used to be done from Monday to Thursday during working hours, which means I think for mothers on maternity leave it may not be as difficult, but for mothers who have returned to work it would mean they have to take a day off to go to the place specifically for this.

"If they can have a bit more different points for which the mothers can do the blood test, that would be helpful."
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Last updated: 2025-01-02 HKT 22:04