Dubai, United Arab Emirates (AP) —Saudi Arabia’s eighties monarch had a colonoscopy on Sunday, just weeks after replacing the pacemaker’s battery, state media reported.
The official Saudi Arabian press reported that the first thing he said was that the 86-year-old King Salman was admitted to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in the Saudi port city of Jeddah.
Later that day, state media reported that he had undergone colonoscopy, but found nothing unusual. According to state media, doctors instructed King Salman to stay in the hospital to rest “for a while,” but the period was not specified.
The monarch’s health is carefully watched because he has absolute power in the kingdom.
King Salman took the throne in 2015 and appointed his 36-year-old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as his successor. However, he has already empowered Prince Mohammed to lead his day-to-day operations.
Since being promoted to power, Prince Mohammed has overthrown the kingdom with rapid social reforms, set aside royal rivals, cracked down on perceived enemies, and caused controversy.
Earlier this year, state media reported that King Salman was hospitalized in Riyadh to replace the battery in his cardiac pacemaker. In 2020, he underwent surgery to remove his gallbladder after a stint at the hospital that revived speculation about his health.