Saudi Arabia‘s ruler, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has been admitted to a hospital in the capital, Riyadh, for medical tests due to inflammation of his gallbladder.
This was made known by the kingdom’s Royal Court in a statement on Monday, prompting the postponement of the Iraqi prime minister’s high-profile visit, Telegraph reports.
The statement said the 84-year-old monarch is being tested at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital but did not provide further details.
The hospital frequently treats royal family members, including recently those who have contracted the coronavirus. It specializes in transplant surgeries, research and training programs.
It is however rare for Saudi Arabia to report on the health of the ageing monarch, who has ruled the top oil exporter and the Arab world’s biggest economy since 2015.
King Salman took the throne after the death of his half-brother Abdullah, who was around 90 years old.
Due to the King’s absence, the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi’s scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia, has now been postponed.
The Saudi king has not been seen in public in recent months due to social distancing guidelines and concerns over the spread of the coronavirus inside the kingdom, which has one of the largest outbreaks in the Middle East – 250,920 confirmed cases as at Monday morning.
He has however been seen attending virtual meetings with his Cabinet and has held calls with world leaders, including as recently as Saturday with Kuwait’s ruling emir, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
King Salman has empowered his 34-year-old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as his successor.
The crown prince’s assertive and bold style of leadership, as well as his consolidation of power and sidelining of potential rivals, has been controversial.
With the support of his father, Prince Mohammed has transformed the kingdom in recent years, opening it up to tourists and eroding decades of ultraconservative restrictions on entertainment and women’s rights, as he tries to diversify the Saudi economy away from reliance on oil exports.
Exerting his power, the prince has however detained dozens of activists and critics, overseen a devastating war in Yemen and have been involved in other controversies.
