POLICE in the US state of Arizona are investigating a report that a woman in a vegetative state for a decade gave birth recently at a private healthcare facility.
According to local station LTVK, via nbcnews.com, a source reported that the woman gave birth to a boy on December 29.
The woman had been in a vegetative state at the Hacienda HealthCare facility near Phoenix for around a decade following a near drowning incident.
Investigation
The source, described as someone ‘familiar with the situation’, said staff were unaware the patient was pregnant until she started to moan.
The baby is in a healthy state, added the source.
Police in Phoenix said ‘the matter is currently under investigation’ but have released no further details of the case.
According to abc15.com, both the Department of Economic Security and the Arizona Department of Health Services are also looking into the matter.
Internal review
Hacienda HealthCare said in a statement that it is looking into an ‘unprecedented matter’.
"As an organization, Hacienda HealthCare stands fully committed to getting to the truth of what, for us, represents an unprecedented matter,” the statement said.
“We are already conducting a comprehensive internal review of our processes, protocols, and people to ensure that every single Hacienda resident is as safe and well cared for as possible.
“Anything less than that is unacceptable to our team, our company’s leaders and the communities we serve.”
