Ex-archbishop wakes up from coma

Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Chia has woken up and spoken for the first time since falling into a coma last month.

The former archbishop was "fairly conscious" last Wednesday and was able to say "hello" to his doctors, wrote Archbishop William Goh's personal assistant, Ms Magdalene Lee, in an internal statement.

"The large clot in his brain has since resolved, and the swelling in his head is subsiding," said Ms Lee.

"The right side of his body remains weak, however, and will require physiotherapy."

The 75-year-old former head of the Roman Catholic Church here suffered a brain haemorrhage after a fall last month in Punggol Park, near the Catholic Spirituality Centre where he lives.

But since his first word last Wednesday, the former archbishop has not spoken, Ms Lee told The Sunday Times, and is to remain in critical care at Mount Alvernia Hospital.

A five-member medical committee will be meeting on April 2 to review the extent of his neurological and functional recovery and look into options for future care.

The Catholic Church will put out another statement when there are further significant changes in his condition, she added.

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