Kuwait’s 91-year-old ruler admitted to hospital for medical checkup

Kuwait's 91-year-old ruler has been admitted to hospital for a medical checkup, the state-run news agency KUNA reported on Saturday.

Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah was in “good health,” the news agency said, citing a statement from the country's Minister of Diwan (Royal Palace) Affairs.

The brief report did not elaborate.

In August 2019, Kuwait acknowledged the emir suffered an unspecified medical “setback" that required him to be hospitalized. That came after visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter that he was “praying for Emir’s speedy recovery,” without elaborating.

Sheikh Sabah has ruled Kuwait since January 2006. He has pushed for diplomacy to solve regional issues, such as the ongoing boycott of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain, and hosted major donor conferences for war-torn nations like Iraq and Syria.

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