King Salman Health Check

The leader of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, underwent a medical examination. He was 88 years old.

AFP/SAUDI PRESS AGENCY

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz (second from the right) performed Eid al-Fitr prayers in the Masjid al-Haram mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday (10/4/2024).

RIYADH, THURSDAY — King Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz underwent a medical examination, Wednesday (24/4/2024). The royal news agency, SPA, reported, King Salman left the hospital after undergoing all the procedures.

The Saudi Press Agency did not provide a detailed explanation of the medical examination conducted by the medical team at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Jeddah on King Salman. There is no explanation regarding the health condition of the king who has been ruling Saudi Arabia since 2015.

Also read: King Salman's Health Problems Trigger Issues of Succession to MBS

The initial statement announcing the arrival of King Salman at the hospital mentioned that the health examination was expected to take a few hours. Public statements about the King's health condition like this are rarely issued.

The day before, on Tuesday (4/23/2024), government-owned media showed a clip of King Salman attending the weekly cabinet meeting. For years, Saudi Arabia has been trying to quell speculation about King Salman's health condition.

AFP/SAUDI ROYAL PALACE/BANDAR AL-JALOUD

A photo released by the Royal Palace of Saudi Arabia shows King Salman (third from right) conversing briefly with Chinese President Xi Jinping after signing a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday (9/12/2022).

It's known that King Salman has several health issues. He underwent gallbladder surgery in 2020. Two years later, in mid-2022, he underwent several health examinations, including replacing the battery of his pacemaker device.

Control of the government is given to the crown prince, Prince Mohammed bin Salman or MBS. Prince MBS was appointed crown prince in 2017, replacing Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, King Salman's nephew.

Also read: Two Factions Rivalry in Saudi Arabia

Not only as a crown prince, MBS was also trusted to hold the position of deputy prime minister since then. In 2022, he was officially appointed as the prime minister, replacing the position of King Salman.

Under MBS, Saudi Arabia improved and launched various programs for the future development of Saudi Arabia's economy, including Saudi Arabia Vision 2030. (AP/AFP/REUTERS)