A newborn with Italian citizenship born a few days ago in the United Kingdom was transferred to the Bambin Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome because he was suffering from a serious cardiac malformation. The little one, the Presidency of the Council announced, landed at Ciampino airport on Tuesday 23 April on Air Force flight C130. Il Bambino Gesù reports that the little patient was hospitalized urgently and underwent double heart surgery. The press release from Palazzo Chigi underlines that the transfer of the newborn was made possible thanks to a complex organization that involved various bodies and ministries. The case comes a few months after that of Indi Gregory, an eight-month-old English girl suffering from a serious mitochondrial disease. In November, the Italian government unsuccessfully attempted to have her moved to Italy, including granting her citizenship. The little girl died after being taken off life support following a legal battle between the family and British authorities.
The words of the father
«Both my wife and I have hearts overflowing with joy for what is happening. We sincerely thank the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who actively took action to make the transfer of our son possible, to the Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano and to the officials of the Prime Minister’s Office, including in particular the councilors Nicola Guerzoni and Francesco Farri who provided the their indispensable contribution”, are the words of the father of the newborn released by Simone Pillon, former senator of the League and lawyer for the family. “Now we hope that the entire medical process goes well and we can reach our child’s recovery soon,” he concluded.
Pillon’s reconstruction
«As a lawyer but above all as a father, I believe that this affair is ultimately a splendid opportunity to feel completely proud of being Italian», comments Pillon, explaining that «the little boy needed surgery, but the local protocols risked excluding him. Then the father, an Italian citizen, turned to the Italian organizations dedicated to the care of minors and to my law firm. The local Italian consulate and the Air Force, the Bambin Gesù doctors proposed to their English colleagues – he continues – a transfer protocol which involved the embarkation of the ambulance and the medical team on a specially equipped C-130 military aircraft, so as to guarantee the newborn the presence of doctors and all medical equipment during the journey, and to be transferred directly from the English hospital to the Italian one in a few hours without ever getting out of the ambulance”.
The Italy-United Kingdom institutional axis
The Presidency of the Council with the offices of the Undersecretary of State, the Diplomatic Councilor and the Flight Service, together with the Ministry of Defense with the Air Force, the Ministry of Health, the ASL of Rome 1 and the Bambin Gesù Hospital, have collaborated under the coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Italy in London and the Consulate General of Italy in London. Collaboration with the health authorities of the United Kingdom was fundamental, in particular with the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
