King Abdullah of Jordan has made a visit in disguise to a government hospital to find out for himself what patients think of the country's health services.

It's the fourth time since he succeeded his father, the late King Hussein, last year that the king has paid incognito visits to assess Jordanian opinion of different aspects of society.

The latest visit was to the hospital in the northern industrial city of Zarqa.

Palace officials in Amman, who were unaware of the visit until the king returned, said he had witnessed slow treatment and inadequate facilities.

They said he formed the opinion that the hospital was badly managed.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service