The former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has left intensive care at a hospital in Milan where he spent 12 days being treated for a lung infection and leukaemia.
The 86-year-old has been transferred to another ward at the San Raffaele hospital as a result of the “constant improvement” of his condition, his medics said.
The media tycoon, who leads Forza Italia, a partner in Italy’s ruling coalition government, was admitted to intensive care in the hospital’s cardiology unit on 5 April after having breathing problems.
It was later revealed by his personal doctor, Alberto Zangrillo, that Berlusconi, who has overcome other major health problems in the past, had been suffering from leukaemia for some time. Zangrillo said the lung infection was a result of the leukaemia, for which he was receiving chemotherapy.
Berlusconi had a constant flow of visits from friends and family, while the Italian press kept a continuous presence outside the hospital. His brother, Paolo, told reporters on Sunday night: “I hope this work of yours finishes soon, as it will mean that everything is going well.”
A handful of Berlusconi supporters also gathered outside the hospital.
Berlusconi’s hospitalisation prompted speculation about the future leadership of Forza Italia, which he founded three months before winning his first general election in 1994, and the subsequent impact on Giorgia Meloni’s government.
Matteo Salvini, whose League party is also a partner in the coalition, said: “The exit of Silvio Berlusconi from intensive care is great news, we’re very happy and wait for his return to parliament.”
In 2016, Berlusconi underwent surgery to replace a faulty aortic valve, and in September 2020 he was admitted to hospital with Covid-19. He subsequently suffered from lingering ailments related to the virus, an experience he described as “the worst of my life”.
Berlusconi also overcame prostate cancer in 1997.
