Alessandro Di Battista prepares private medical return to Italy after hospitalization in Cuba

Medical emergency in Cuba

Former Five Star Movement lawmaker Alessandro Di Battista remains hospitalized in Havana after collapsing with acute head pain during a reporting trip. The 48-year-old writer and political activist had traveled to the Caribbean island to produce reportages on the economic embargo for the Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano and its digital platform Tv Loft. Following his initial admission to a medical facility in Santa Clara in serious condition, he was transferred to the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital in Havana. A dedicated medical team from Rome's Policlinico Agostino Gemelli, comprising a neurosurgeon and an intensive care specialist dispatched at the initiative of Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte, arrived on site to assist Cuban medical staff with diagnostic assessments.

Repatriation plans and private transport

Medical teams in Havana are evaluating Di Battista's fitness to fly before clearing him for an air ambulance transfer scheduled for Thursday. Although Italian authorities offered an official state flight operated by the military, Di Battista declined the proposal, opting instead for a private medical flight to avoid using public resources. The cost of the specialized aircraft is covered by the travel insurance policy secured prior to his assignment, with Il Fatto Quotidiano and the Five Star Movement prepared to bridge any additional financial shortfalls. His partner, 45-year-old journalist Sahra Lahouasnia, arrived in Cuba alongside Luca Di Giuseppe, the president of the Schierarsi civil association founded by Di Battista in 2023.

Political reactions and consular assistance

The Italian government confirmed its readiness to support the repatriation while addressing public discussions surrounding state medical transports. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that consular authorities had assisted numerous citizens abroad throughout the season, noting that 25 Italians were repatriated for health emergencies between June 1 and August 31. Conte confirmed the seriousness of the initial incident while asking the public to respect the privacy of Di Battista's family during medical evaluations. The Schierarsi association issued a formal note thanking supporters and urging observers to disregard unconfirmed reports regarding his clinical status.

From June 1 to August 31 of this year, that is throughout the entire summer, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not left alone any Italian who had problems while abroad, especially those who had health problems.

Medical evaluations and overseas proposals

Di Battista has remained conscious and responsive in his hospital room, continuing to post political commentary on social media regarding the conflict in Gaza. In the United States, Italian neurosurgeon Italo Linfante, director of interventional neuroradiology at the Miami Neuroscience Center-Baptist Health, suggested that transferring the patient to nearby Florida would prevent the physiological stress of a transatlantic flight to Rome. Linfante noted that the sudden onset of severe cephalalgia followed by loss of consciousness resembled a subarachnoid hemorrhage resulting from an intracranial aneurysm, which typically requires immediate endovascular repair and intracranial pressure monitoring.

The return journey to Italy is long, we are available if necessary.