A baby was airlifted from Bristol to the Vatican after the NHS refused to operate on him as he was “too ill”.
Italian authorities got involved after the young boy’s family reached out to them for help after they were told that he was too ill to undergo cardiac surgery in the UK.
The one-month-old, who suffers from a congenital heart condition, was allowed to be transferred when medics saw the plan for treatment in the Vatican.
He was collected from Bristol Royal Hospital for Children by a military cargo, which had an Italian ambulance onboard.
The baby was collected from Bristol Royal Hospital for Children by a military cargo
PA
The boy then arrived at Ciampino airport on Italian Airforce flight C130 at around 7.30pm local time on Tuesday.
The child’s father is an Italian citizen but has worked in the UK for many years.
It has been reported that the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni personally intervened so the child could travel.
Meloni's office said the transfer required "a comprehensive organisational effort”, from the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Health, the Italian Embassy and the Consulate General of Italy in London.
It said: “There was full and fruitful cooperation with the health authorities in the United Kingdom, and in particular with the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children."
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“The high level of professionalism of the doctors at Rome’s Bambino Gesù Paediatric Hospital together with the efficiency of all administrations involved enabled this complex and delicate transfer to be completed successfully, one of the first of its kind for such a small patient with such a serious condition.”
The family wishes to remain anonymous and has not specified the NHS hospital.
On Wednesday, the baby successfully underwent a double operation at the Bambino Gesu Children's Hospital and is now recovering. Italian doctors said he is “fighting” and “wants to live”.
Simon Pillon, a lawyer representing the youngster’s family, said: “The operation was available in the UK, but the doctors decided that, following the protocols of the UK, the baby was not fit for the operation. They decided that he was too ill.
“The doctors in the Vatican hospital examined the papers and decided they could do it.
The one-month-old was allowed to be transferred when medics saw the plan for treatment in the Vatican
Getty
“The British doctors were wonderful because they allowed the transfer.”
The child’s father, who is Italian, told The Times: “My wife and I are very happy and relieved… [Meloni and the Italian authorities] actively took action to make the transfer of our son possible.”
The father also thanked the British medical team "for smoothly authorising and supporting us and our son through this process”.
On social media, Pillon thanked “all those who worked hard to transfer the little [boy]”, on social media.
“A big thank you from the family to all those who worked hard to transfer the little [boy], less than a month old, from the United Kingdom to Rome,” he added.
