MILAN (Reuters) – Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi will remain in hospital for treatment of leukaemia, his doctors said on Wednesday, after media speculation that he could be allowed to return home soon.
Berlusconi, 86, was hospitalised on April 5 and was in intensive care for more than 10 days, stirring speculation that his life might be in danger and drawing a stream of family and friends to his bedside.
Treated for a lung infection linked to chronic leukaemia, Berlusconi, who leads the right-wing Forza Italia party, came out of intensive care on April 16 and his condition has steadily improved, doctors’ statements say.
In Wednesday’s bulletin, they described Berlusconi’s general health condition as “stable and comforting”, adding that he would continue to be treated in hospital with “therapies aimed at controlling the haematological disease”.
Forza Italia is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition though he has no role in government.
(Reporting by Elvira Pollina, editing by Alvise Armellini and Mark Heinrich)
