Former Italian Lawmaker in Critical Condition at Cuban Hospital

Alessandro Di Battista, a former member of Italy's Five Star Movement (M5S), is currently in critical condition in a Cuban hospital since late Friday evening.

The 48-year-old politician and journalist was in Cuba working on a series of reports when he suddenly fell ill, as reported by the agency ANSA.

Di Battista had traveled to the island as a reporter to create a documentary series titled "La polvere del mondo" for the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano and the TVLoft platform. He was urgently admitted to the hospital after experiencing a severe headache and general malaise that appeared unexpectedly. As of now, no official medical diagnosis has been released.

Medical Transfer to Havana

Initial reports indicated that Di Battista received primary care at a hospital in Santa Clara, approximately 300 kilometers from Havana. It was later confirmed that he would be transported by ambulance to the capital, where the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital—a key facility for complex cases and foreign patients—was prepared to receive him.

Italian Officials Respond

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressed his concerns and stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had immediately mobilized the embassy in Havana. "I pray for his health. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide him and his family with all necessary support. My thoughts are with his loved ones and the political community he represents," he declared.

Peter Gomez, editor of Il Fatto Quotidiano, was among the first to share the news on the social network X. "Alessandro Di Battista sick in Cuba: he is hospitalized in serious condition," he wrote, confirming that the journalist was working on a piece for the newspaper when the incident occurred. Gomez added that he had little information beyond what was published, but the situation was "serious."

Background and Political Impact

The M5S, of which Di Battista was a prominent figure until he left in February 2021, expressed "grave concern" and hoped for "positive news," while offering condolences to his family "during this deeply worrying time."

Di Battista served as a deputy for Lazio in the 2013 general elections and did not seek reelection in 2018. He officially departed from M5S after opposing the party's support for Mario Draghi's government.

Since then, he has reinvented himself as a geopolitical journalist, producing reports from the United States, Mexico, Iran, Bolivia, and Russia, among other countries. As of 2023, he serves as vice president of the "Schierarsi" association, and according to Italian media, he was considering turning it into a political party to run for office again.

Cuban Healthcare System Under Strain

Di Battista's hospitalization comes amid a severe crisis in the Cuban healthcare system. More than 70% of essential medications—461 out of 651—were reportedly out of stock as of April 2026, with over 96,000 patients on surgical waiting lists, according to data from the regime itself. The Minister of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, had warned in February of that year that the system was "on the brink of collapse," a statement that contrasts with the care now required for the Italian journalist in the country.