Two specialists from the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome are traveling to Cuba this Sunday to join the medical team caring for former Italian deputy Alessandro Di Battista, who remains hospitalized in serious condition in Havana.
According to a report by the agency ANSA, Italian specialists will assess the patient together with Cuban doctors in the coming hours.
Di Battista's condition, at 48 years old, currently prevents his transfer to Italy, even though the Italian government has made a medical flight available for his repatriation once his clinical condition allows it.
The former deputy of the Five Star Movement (M5S) arrived in Cuba on August 22 to produce the documentary series "La polvere del mondo" (The Dust of the World) for the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano.
During a visit to Santa Clara, the severe headaches he had been experiencing since the previous day suddenly worsened. Di Battista sought medical attention and was urgently admitted to a hospital in that city, where, according to Italian media, he lost consciousness for several hours.
After being recovered, he was transported by ambulance to Havana and admitted to the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, where he underwent specialized tests, including a contrast-enhanced CT scan.
So far, no official diagnosis has been released. Some Italian media outlets have mentioned the possibility of a stroke, but that hypothesis has not been confirmed by doctors or authorities.
Despite the seriousness of his condition, Di Battista has responded to some messages of support from the hospital.
"I will do everything possible to return soon," she wrote to Ilaria Loquenzi, a former member of the M5S communication team.
The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, spoke on the phone with Di Battista and stated that he found him "combative in tone, not weakened in spirit despite the complicated situation."
Tajani assured him that the Italian government will do "everything necessary for him, just as it should for any Italian citizen in similar circumstances."
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is monitoring the developments of the case through the Italian ambassador in Cuba, Simona De Martino, while the leader of the M5S, Giuseppe Conte, has acted as a liaison between Di Battista's family and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His partner, Sahra Lahouasnia, was also heading to Havana.
The hospitalization of the Italian occurs amid a deep crisis in the Cuban healthcare system. The authorities themselves acknowledge severe shortages of medications and a surgical waiting list that exceeds 100,000 people.
The Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, where Di Battista is currently located, is one of the main Cuban centers for complex cases and care for foreign patients.
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