The state of health of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, hospitalized in intensive care, gave the first signs of improvement on Thursday April 6, according to his entourage. Nicknamed “the immortal” for his longevity in politics, the 86-year-old media mogul has chronic myelomonocytic leukemia and a lung infection, his doctors said in the afternoon.
Silvio Berlusconi, one of the richest men in the peninsula, who has increased hospital stays in recent years, was admitted to the cardiology unit of San Raffaele hospital in Milan on Wednesday for respiratory problems . ” He is resting. We are relieved, there is an improvement”said his brother Paolo Berlusconi Thursday evening, after a visit to the hospital. “This time again, my brother will come out stronger than before”he assured.
Several members of the Berlusconi family went to the hospital located on the outskirts of the Lombard capital, including his eldest daughter Marina and youngest son Luigi. “We are much more optimistic”also said Fedele Confalonieri, one of his closest friends and president of his television group, MediaForEurope (formerly Mediaset). “Today is much better”he said as he left the hospital.
The senator is responding well to antibiotic therapy given to treat pneumonia, Italian news agency Ansa reported, citing sources around him. The form of chronic leukemia he suffers from is not uncommon in people his age and is treatable with minimally invasive therapies, the agency added.
Already hospitalized last month
“Let’s hope the lion comes back to lead the party soon, he never gives up. He is the leader of our party”said Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, number 2 of the conservative Forza Italia party, a member of the ruling coalition. “We are all very concerned. I hope he will have the strength to resist this last blow which has an ominous name, leukaemia.had declared in the morning the deputy minister of culture Vittorio Sgarbi, a friend of Silvio Berlusconi.
Silvio Berlusconi was rushed to the facility on Wednesday after complaining of breathing difficulties. He had low blood oxygen levels. Last month, the billionaire had already spent four days in the same hospital, one of the most prestigious on the peninsula, for what Italian media called heart problems. He had left it a week ago, assuring that he had “already started working again”.
After dominating Italian politics for decades, Silvio Berlusconi now appears physically diminished during his rare public appearances. The time of his famous erotic evenings « flower flower » with young starlets is well and truly over. Forza Italia, credited with less than 10% in the polls, is part of the right-wing and far-right government coalition of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who on Wednesday tweeted to his ally his “sincere and affectionate wishes for a speedy recovery”.
Mr Berlusconi entered politics in 1994 and, for millions of Italians, he represents the golden age of the Italian economy. Despite a series of sex scandals and court cases that tarnished his image, he has held a special place in the hearts of many Italians ever since.