Riyadh, 7 October 2024: King Salman of Saudi Arabia is going to be put under medical tests following the onset of pneumonia, it was indicated in a statement of the Royal Court. The statement at a time when there were increased health concerns over the 88-year-old monarch who has been sitting on the throne since 2015. According to an official report by the Saudi Press Agency, King Salman will undergo tests as recommended by royal clinics.
The statement from the Royal Court was brief, not explaining what this lung infection was or what tests to be conducted. Nevertheless, it continued from a series of other health problems that King Salman has been dealing with during his tenure in office, increasing the scrutiny regarding his ability to govern.
A few months back, the king was hospitalized for medical tests due to a lung infection. He is said to have been treated with antibiotics and has since made a recovery in just a little time. There have been times when King Salman has received several medical procedures. He has been hospitalized on various occasions for checkups. He had a gall bladder surgery last year that was considered to be successful, and he replaced the pacemaker battery in March 2022.
Despite all these health issues, the king has continued to play a significant role in Saudi Arabia’s governance. However, it is very well known that his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman man usually referred to as MBS-has been taking many of the ordinary duties of the government. Elected crown prince in 2017, Mohammed bin Salman has played a key role in many ambitious social and economic reforms into more diversified economies for the Kingdom.
It has been since August when King Salman last held a cabinet meeting after a royal order had granted the cabinet the right to hold a session even in his absence. An undisclosed date order indicates that the most senior cabinet member with Saudi Arabia’s founding father King Abdulaziz Al Saud’s lineage had the right to chair the cabinet when the king and crown prince were unavailable.
Speculation about the health of King Salman has been a persistent theme in Saudi media, often downplayed by the Royal Court. The monarchy, given Saudi Arabia’s salient position as a significant oil exporter and powerful regional ally of the United States, traditionally strove to project stability.
With the monarch’s health under the spotlight, the royal family would want to assure the public and the international community of a seamless continuity of governance. The Crown Prince has gained many headlines through his bold Vision 2030 initiative with which he hopes to transform the economy of the Kingdom away from its dependence on oil. Among those projects involved are entertainment, tourism, and technological advancement and any projects such as these reflect a much greater vision for the future of Saudi Arabia.
While the focus remains on King Salman’s health at a moment in time, the power play in the Saudi royal family appears to be in tune with the times. The observers have noted a trend over the years where Mohammed bin Salman seems to take on both radical changes that reforms bring about and the fiercest crackdown on dissent. As the country continues to envision a new future, the hustle and bustle between this notion of balance between the traditional role in the role of the monarchy and the vision of the modernizing of the Crown Prince define the course ahead for the Kingdom as it moves forward.
In conclusion, therefore, if the case for the medical test on King Salman, then there are still pressing health issues relating to the welfare of the king. Indeed, while the updates about the Royal Court appear, they shall be tasked with the responsibility of maintaining stability at home and for international relationships as well; so far, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has held all the keys of the leadership since the latest health challenge that has struck the king, and his dream of a new Saudi Arabia is already in shape.
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