Saudi King’s block-booking of entire VIP wing at NY hospital irks patients

NEW YORK - King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has courted controversy for the second time after it emerged that he has taken over the entire wing of a hospital to recover from back surgery.

The 86-year-old monarch had block-booked the VIP floor of New York Presbyterian Hospital, commandeering the facility’s top treatment and recovery rooms, reports the New York Post.

The King, who exhorted the US to launch military strikes against Iran, according to Wikileaks, took over the wing to protect his privacy.

“The King has taken the entire luxury treatment wing and booked out all the rooms, even though they are empty and he doesn’t need them, to protect his privacy,” said a family member of one patient.

“Patients are grumbling that they have been moved out to other areas of the hospital, and that despite there being a number of unused VIP treatment rooms, they can’t be moved into them because they are all reserved for the king of Saudi Arabia,” he added.

The King underwent surgery for a blood clot and a slipped disc last week. (ANI)