A one-month-old boy with a congenital heart condition has been airlifted from Bristol Royal Hospital for Children to the Bambino Gesu hospital in Rome, Italy, for life-saving surgery. The transfer was made possible by the personal intervention of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who reportedly sent a military cargo plane to collect the boy.
The child’s parents were reportedly told by doctors that crucial treatment was not available in the United Kingdom. After reviewing the plans for the boy’s transfer and treatment, hospital staff agreed to allow him to be moved. The boy’s Italian father expressed his gratitude to the British medical team and the Italian authorities for their support and cooperation.
The Bambino Gesu hospital, controlled by the Vatican, has previously offered to treat a British baby girl with a rare mitochondrial disease. However, her parents’ legal bid to transfer her to the Rome hospital was unsuccessful.
The Bristol Royal Hospital has not yet commented on the transfer of the one-month-old boy.
In related news, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visited Italy to discuss curbing illegal migration, and the Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts passed away at the age of 80.
