Silvio Berlusconi readmitted to hospital, party sources say

Italy’s 84-year-old former PM has been in and out of hospital since contracting Covid-19 last year

The 84-year-old billionaire businessman has been in and out of hospital since contracting coronavirus last September (AP)

Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been admitted to San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, according to a source.

Reuters quoted a member from Mr Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party who told the news agency that the former PM went into hospital on Thursday evening for “a thorough clinical check-up”.

The source gave no further details as to Mr Berlusconi’s condition.

The 84-year-old billionaire businessman has been in and out of hospital since contracting coronavirus last September.

He was treated for more than a week at San Raffaele after developing double pneumonia, an experience he described as the “worst of his life”. He was last hospitalised in May, when he spent five days at San Raffaele Hospital.

Mr Berlusconi has faced a number of serious health issues in recent years. In 2016 he underwent major heart surgery to replace an aortic valve in 2016. He also has overcome prostate cancer and a series of other ailments. He has had a pacemaker for years.

He has previously described his bout with coronavirus as “insidious,” calling it the most dangerous challenge he had ever faced.

Additional reporting by Reuters