RIYADH: King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is to spend a period of convalescence in the United States following last week's successful surgery in New York, his son Prince Mit'eb, Minister of State and Commander of the National Guard, said Sunday. Prince Mit'eb made the comments at the opening of the Saudi Conference for Women Medical Training Programs, less than a day after Prince Naif, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, said that the King was recovering well and walking unassisted. Prince Naif said late Saturday that the King was walking “outside” his New York city hospital “on his own” after the operation last week to address a herniated disc and a blood clot. Meanwhile, Abdullah Al-Rabeah, Health Minister, also said the King has started rehabilitation and his health is “very reassuring.” “I would like to reassure all Saudi nationals as well as everyone who expressed concern over his health that the King is doing extremely well and is currently undergoing a physiotherapy and rehabilitation program as recommended by his medical team,” Dr. Al-Rabeah told Saudi Press Agency (SPA) in a statement. Prince Mit'eb told the conference Sunday that Saudi women were well represented in the medical sector, and that the government was working to improve medical services across the board. “This conference is part of the plans of King Saud Bin Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences and the Health Affairs Department of the National Guard, to better serve patients,” the Prince said.
