Penza, 26 July 2018. PenzaNews. A boy with three legs was born in the Penza perinatal centre. Relevant information with a reference to its sources was spread by Channel 11 (the broadcasting company Nash Dom) in the newscast released in the evening on Wednesday, July 25.

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According to the media, it was the first time a baby with the diagnosis polymelia was born in the Penza region.

The Ministry of Health does not comment on the information released in the programme.

Press secretary of the department Tatyana Manukhina does not answer calls of PenzaNews journalists neither by office phone nor by mobile phone. Minister of health of the region Vladimir Stryuchkov is also unavailable to journalists.

In turn, main expert specialist of the medical aid department of the obstetric service of the Ministry of Health of the Penza region Lana Romanova neither confirmed nor denied the information about a three-legged baby.

"We can give a comment with the consent of the patient. The patient has not given such consent," the interlocutor said.

She also expressed an opinion that such cases should not be made public.

"We have a lot of children born with congenital malformations, but such facts should not be spread around," Lana Romanova said.

Attempts to receive a prompt comment from the Regional Children Clinical Hospital named after N.F. Filatov, which includes the perinatal centre, failed. Chief physician Maxim Bazhenov is on vacation, and his deputy Leonid Pogozhev, who is currently charged with the duties of chief physician, is conducting an operation at the moment.