Web Words: Politics and palliative care Saudi Arabia: Dion Smyth's review of palliative nursing on the internet

摘要

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932 when four distinct regions in the Arabian Peninsula were integrated under the rule of Ibn Saud, the head of the House of Saud. This family has continued to rule the state, which conducts itself as an autocratic, absolute, indirectly hereditary monarchy, where the king must be a son or grandson of Ibn Saud. The ruling elite is buttressed by the support of the Wahhabi religious establishment and the country's legal system is based on Sharia law, as well as royal decree. The country's economy is based on extensive natural oil and gas reserves and production and, as a result of this wealth, Saudi Arabia is one of the largest economies in the world. Health services in the Kingdom are well supported with training and education aimed at reducing the traditional reliance on foreign healthcare personnel. The country has a poor history of human rights legislation, with a much-criticised ongoing war in Yemen, reportedly poor treatment of political dissidents and limited women's rights; the murder of the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, has raised international concerns about the actions of an authoritarian state against its citizenry.