Seriously ill baby flown to Vatican for operation

A ONE-MONTH-OLD baby with a congenital heart condition was airlifted to a Vatican hospital after the NHS refused to operate on him.

The parents of the baby boy are understood to have been told by an NHS hospital that he was too ill to perform the specialist cardiac surgery that he would require.

The family of the baby wish to remain anonymous and have not identified the NHS hospital. However, the father of the child is an Italian citizen who has worked in the UK for many years. In a bid to try and save their child’s life, the family turned to Italian authorities for help, and, in particular, Simon Pillon, the lawyer and former senator.

During careful negotiations and collaboration, Italian authorities and doctors at the Bambino Gesù Paediatric Hospital proposed a transfer involving putting an ambulance and full medical team on a specially equipped military aircraft C -130 of 46th Air Brigade.

On Wednesday, the baby successfully underwent a double operation.

Mr Pillon said: “The doctors in the Vatican hospital decided they could do it. The British doctors were wonderful because they allowed the transfer.

“The baby was operated on and it’s going well and the doctors said that he wants to live and that he’s fighting.”

Andrea Williams, the chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre which has supported a number of end-of-life cases involving children in the UK, said: “This is a huge moment for how end-of-life cases involving children could be handled in this country.

“This baby has been given a chance of life and the wishes of the parents have been supported and respected.”