Nationalist Party deputy leader Robert Arrigo is in hospital, where he is receiving intensive care.   

Arrigo first entered hospital on Friday after experiencing pain that was suggestive of the presence of kidney stones.

After this was confirmed, he developed an infection before treatment could be administered.

He was subsequently transferred to Mater Dei Hospital's intensive treatment unit on Saturday, a member of his family told Times of Malta. He was still in ITU as of Wednesday morning.   

In a post on Facebook, the family thanked everyone for their thoughts and prayers and asked for the family's privacy to be respected.

News of Arrigo's ill health broke late on Tuesday on social media.

PN leader Bernard Grech was among the first to wish Arrigo a speedy recovery, as was Arrigo's fellow deputy leader, David Agius. 

On Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Robert Abela also posted to social media to wish Arrigo well, as did parliamentary speaker Anġlu Farrugia through a media statement. 

Arrigo, a popular entrepreneur from Sliema, was first elected to parliament in 2003 after serving on the town's local council for more than a decade.  

He was elected PN deputy leader for party affairs in 2017 following the election of Adrian Delia as party leader and remained in that role when Bernard Grech succeded Delia to become Opposition leader.