CRITICAL CONDITION

Saudi Arabia to Remove All Saudi Patients From Canadian Hospitals

Fury comes after Canada urged repressive kingdom to free women's rights activists.

Saudi Arabia’s incredible overreaction to some fairly benign comments from Canadian officials continues: Now the kingdom has announced it will transfer all Saudi nationals being treated in Canadian hospitals out of the country. Saudi Arabia froze new trade and investment with Canada, expelled the Canadian ambassador, said its state airline would no longer fly to Canada, and issued an order for all Saudi citizens studying in Canadian universities to leave the country within 30 days. This was all in response to Ottawa urging the repressive monarchy to free arrested women’s rights activists. Now Riyadh has announced it will halt all medical treatment for all Saudi patients in Canadian hospital and is coordinating for their transfer, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The agency cited Saudi Health Attaché in the U.S. and Canada, Fahd bin Ibrahim Al Tamimi. It’s unclear how many Saudi patients are being treated in Canada. Al Tamimi said the move is intended to “ensure the safety of Saudi patients who receive treatment in Canada with their companions, and to complete their treatment elsewhere.”