Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Aldossari, the President of the General Authority for Statistics, participated in the opening of the First Conference of the Saudi Association for Statistical Sciences, which was held in Madinah on Sunday, 11 February 2024, under the theme "Statistics and Health." The conference aimed to discuss the latest developments in the field of statistical data and enhance the desired integration with health authorities in issuing health and social indicators and data that contribute to supporting policymakers and decision-makers.
In his speech at the conference, Dr. Aldossari expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to the Saudi Association for Statistical Sciences and the Saudi Society for Medical Education for their excellent organization and reception, while also commending the efforts made to ensure the success of the conference.

Dr. Aldossari stated, "For the first time, the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) issued six specialized health statistical products at the end of 2023, comprising more than 98 health indicators. GASTAT is keen to adopt a unified working methodology that aligns with the nature of each statistical product, by relying on the Statistical Business Procedures Manual, which is in line with the standards and procedures adopted by international statistical organizations and agencies."

He further explained that the role of GASTAT lies in conducting several specialized health surveys, including the Health Condition Survey, Women's Health and Reproductive Care Survey, Health Determinants Survey, and Health Care Survey. He emphasized that GASTAT collected comprehensive and accurate data from all regions of the Kingdom, following an approved methodology for each survey, and applied best practices, methods, and quality models in data collection and analysis to produce the required health statistical publications and indicators.

GASTAT’s President affirmed that the Authority is committed, within its strategy, to developing its statistical products in general, and health products in particular, in order to provide high-quality health data and indicators that can be relied upon to support all efforts aimed at developing healthcare services. This support aligns with the Sustainable Development Plans in the healthcare sector in the Kingdom and meets international health requirements that contribute to enhancing the Kingdom's international ranking.

It is worth mentioning that the First Conference of the Saudi Association for Statistical Science is sponsored by the Prince Sultan Military Medical City and is held for the first time over a period of 3 days, from 11 February to 13 February 2024. The conference includes several main sessions and workshops on analyzing health insurance data, statistical analysis of medical data using the (R) program, advanced data analysis using the (MS Excel) program, as well as the presentation of scientific medical statistical posters by a group of specialists and speakers, with more than 24 scientific posters and 300 participants.