The drive was supported by Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy Minister Nada Murganic, who said that such a bank would provide healthy food for prematurely born children and babies who for health reasons cannot take their mothers' milk.
The head of the UNICEF office in Croatia, Valentina Otmacic, said she expected the first human milk bank to open in Zagreb, at the city's Rebro hospital, by the end of 2018.
She noted that human milk banks existed throughout Europe and that in some countries there was a milk bank in almost every bigger city.
Milk will be collected from breastfeeding women at maternity wards or at home, after which it will be analysed for safe consumption. The bank will be linked with maternity wards to which it will deliver the milk.