Rotary to setup Human Milk Bank in Mohali

 

- MoU signed by Rotary Club Chandigarh and Dr B.R.Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences, Mohali 

Mohali, 13 July:  Rotary Club of Chandigarh and the Dr B R Ambedkar State institute of Medical Sciences, AIMS Mohali signed an memorandum of understanding here today to setup a not-for-profit human milk bank.

The MoU was signed by Dr Bhavneet Bharti, Director of the AIMS and Rtn Anil Chadda, President of Rotary Club Chandigarh to setup this unique facility.

Rtn Anil Chadda informed that this would be a boon to pre-term born babies that require human milk, and we have named this project as Rotary Hope Project.

He informed that a philanthropist from Yamunanagar Subhash Garg who is a past district governor in Rotary has contributed Rs. 31 Lakh for setting up the plant and equipment for this project in Mohali.

Dr. Bhavneet Bharti informed that there is a dire need for human milk especially for the preterm babies (born before 37 weeks of gestation) and their number is believed to be 3.5 million every year. 

In this region, we too have similar requirements because donor human milk is protective against many serious diseases like neonatal  sepsis, neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis( NNEC), Dr. Bharti said.

The milk is obtained from donor mothers voluntarily, which will be preserved and pasteurised to be used within three months, said Dr. Bharti.

Dr. Bharti who herself joined the Rotary Club Chandigarh shared the idea with the Rotarians who came forward and organized a CSR contribution of a corporate body to fund the setting up of the plant.

She informed that the total project cost is about Rs.1 crore for which a seperate block in the institute has already been readied and the equipment will be installed shortly and we hope to open it up within a month or so.

Rotary Club of Chandigarh is in 65 years of its existence in the city and has to its credit setting up of Rotary PGI Serai, state-of-the-art blood bank in Sector 37, a Rotary Vocational Training Centre in Sector 18, international dolls museum in Sector 23, besides having done over 700 free heart surgeries of children, informed Rtn Pres. Anil Chadda.

For further information:
Rtn. Anil Chadda, President, Rotary Club Chandigarh, M: 98140 13641

Cyber Safety workshop for school children in Chandigarh

Fifty-five percent off children on social media share their passwords with others making them vulnerable to cyber crimes, said cybersecurity expert Vibhu Agarwal of Connect Broadband at a Rotary workshop organized at Ajit Karam Singh International Public School, Sector 45, Smart School in Chandigarh, on 18th April.  

With growing usage of mobile phones in every home, infants and children are getting easy access to the internet content which is scary, said school principal Jasmine Kalra. 

The cybersecurity workshop and the quiz were organized by Rotary Club Chandigarh, and Connect Broadband as a part of its social responsibility initiative to sensitize children against cybercrime.

Later, in the Intra School NetChamp Quiz Jatin Dahiya and Pranshul of Class X A ,  won the first prize, and would now be eligible to participate in the city-round as well as the grand finale next month.

Connect Broadband has already reached out to over 10,000 children in almost 43 schools of Chandigarh and Punjab to generate awareness and protect them from online stalkers, hackers and fraudsters. 

Rotary Chandigarh to setup India's first Health Education Centre

·     MoU signed between Chandigarh Administration and Rotary Club Chandigarh·     Rotary to spend nearly Rs.2.2 crore for the project
·       Governor of Punjab and UT Administrator Shri VP Singh Badnore offers all support to Rotary in various development projects

Chandigarh Administration and Rotary Club of Chandigarh have signed a memorandum of understanding for setting up one-of-its-kind Health Education Centre in the city.

The MoU was signed by B.L. Sharma, Secretary Education, representing the UT Administration and President of the Club, AP Singh in the presence of Shri V.P.Singh Badnore, Governor of Punjab and Administrator UT, Shri Parimal Rai, Advisor to the Administrator, DGP Shri Sanjay Baniwal, former world president of Rotary International Rajendra K. Saboo and other senior officers of the UT Administration.

Shri Badnore commended Rotary’s endeavours for this unique project and the first one in the country to be setup in the city, and said that this is a new beginning and Administration would like to partner with Rotary Club Chandigarh for its various other initiatives.

Former world president of Rotary International, RK Saboo said that the Club would be spending approximately US$ 300,000 (Rs.2.2 crores) for the Centre for which expertise, and know how shall come from US-based, McMillen Health Centre, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

This state-of-the-art Health Education Centre is meant to educate school students about fundamentals  of medical science, human physiology, and  would also serve as Training Centre to impart training to master trainers as well as teachers, informed former world president of Rotary International Rajendra K Saboo who had conceived the project.

Chandigarh Administration has decided to setup this Centre in Government Model High School, Sector 22C, in the first phase, and later a site would be identified by a committee comprising representatives of the Engineering, and Architecture departments and the District Education Officer.

It would also work as centre of excellence in providing basic medical education, health checkup and training, and would be managed by a team of administrative staff, team of doctors and experts under a society which shall have Advisor to the Administrator as Chairman while Home, Health, Finance and Education Secretaries of the Chandigarh Administration as members along with various other members from various departments as well as the head of the PGI, and two members of the Rotary Club.

Rotarians present on the occasion included past district governor Madhukar Malhotra, Past Presidents Baldev Agarwal, Charanjit Singh and Manmohan Singh Kohli, and incoming club president Surinder Pal Kaur, DPS Principal Reema Dewan, Head of Community Diseases PGI Dr JS Thakur, Vinod Kapoor, Abha Sharma, among others.