Di Battista fell seriously ill while working in Cuba.Doctors from Rome's Gemelli hospital on Sunday travelled to Cuba to assist Alessandro Di Battista, the former Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S) politician who has been hospitalised in Havana since Friday after suddenly falling ill.  The two specialists from the Gemelli arrived overnight to work alongside Cuban doctors treating Di Battista, 48, at the Hermanos Ameijeiras hospital. Their task is to assess his condition and determine whether he is fit to be flown home to Italy aboard a state-provided medical evacuation aircraft.   Di Battista fell seriously ill on Friday in Santa Clara, around 300 km from Havana, where he was working on a reportage for the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano and broadcaster TvLoft. He was initially hospitalised in Santa Clara after suffering severe headaches and briefly losing consciousness, before being transferred by ambulance to the capital for further tests, including a CT scan.   Doctors have described his condition as serious but stable. He has remained lucid, responding to medical staff and, on Sunday, posting messages of thanks on social media to well-wishers, including Neapolitan pizza chef Gino Sorbillo, telling him "I'll do everything I can to get back soon."   Who is Alessandro Di Battista? A prominent figure in the early years of the M5S, Di Battista served as a deputy in the Italian parliament between 2013 and 2018 and became known for his outspoken style and campaigning on social and foreign policy issues, including solidarity with Gaza and Latin America.   He left frontline politics some years ago but remains a well-known commentator and is now vice-president of the cultural association Schierarsi.   He has continued to work as a journalist and author, often reporting from abroad. Political reaction News of his hospitalisation prompted an outpouring of concern across the political spectrum. M5S leader Giuseppe Conte has spent the past 24 hours coordinating with Di Battista's family and the foreign ministry, while prime minister Giorgia Meloni's government has followed developments closely through Italy's ambassador in Havana, Simona De Martino.   Foreign minister and deputy prime minister Antonio Tajani spoke to Di Battista by telephone and described him as "fighting in tone, not weakened in spirit despite the difficult situation." Tajani assured him that the government would do "everything necessary, as should be done for every Italian citizen in similar conditions," and expressed hope of seeing him again soon in Rome.   The government has reportedly been irritated by criticism on social media over its decision to make a state medical flight available to bring Di Battista home - a normal procedure, officials point out, for any Italian citizen in a medical emergency abroad, regardless of political affiliation. How Italy assists citizens in difficulty abroad Under long-standing consular protocol, Italy's foreign ministry and its embassies and consulates abroad provide assistance to Italian nationals facing medical emergencies, accidents or other serious difficulties overseas. This can include liaising with local hospitals and authorities, keeping families informed, and, in serious cases, arranging repatriation.   Where a person is too unwell to travel on a scheduled flight, the state can deploy a specially equipped medical evacuation aircraft, accompanied by Italian medical personnel, to bring the patient home once doctors judge them fit to travel.   In Di Battista's case, the two Gemelli specialists sent to Havana are expected to make that assessment in the coming hours, working alongside the Cuban medical team.   Photo credit: Marco Aprile / Shutterstock.com