Pope's health shows improvement amid dedicated care at gemelli
The Pope remains in hospital, and while his condition is still quite serious, there has been a slight improvement in recent hours. "My long-time colleague, paramedic Massimiliano Strappetti, is continuous with Francis. He doesn't leave the Pope's side for a moment," says Magdalena Wolińska-Riedi, a veteran Vatican correspondent.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday evening, the Vatican disclosed that the mild kidney failure identified in recent days has subsided. Meanwhile, a chest CT scan performed yesterday evening showed a normal progression of the lung inflammation.
"Under previous popes, each had their own doctor. Dr Renato Buzzonetti cared for John Paul II, while Prof Fabrizio Polisca looked after Benedict XVI. Francis does not have a doctor solely for himself; on foreign trips, a doctor from the Vatican clinic accompanies the Pope," says Wolińska-Riedi.
She further notes that the paramedic attending to Francis began working at the Vatican during John Paul II's pontificate. "He doesn't leave the Pope's side for a moment. He is present at every audience, ceremony. At the Casa Santa Marta, and he insisted on having Francis hospitalised almost two weeks ago when the bronchitis did not subside," the journalist explains.
The Pope receives excellent care. "The most advanced equipment"
She assures the Pope benefits from the finest conditions at Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic. The entire tenth floor is reserved for the leader of the Church, and it is used not only by the Pope and medical staff but also by Francis's close associates and papal security.
"The hospital's infrastructure is state-of-the-art, providing the Pope with the most advanced equipment that aids doctors in maintaining his health and life. As a citizen of the Vatican, I had the chance to be in this area when I required orthopaedic surgeries due to severe fractures, and it is indeed a section set aside for the Pope, cardinals, or a select few Vatican residents," says Wolińska-Riedi.
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