Prishtina, 7 November 2026
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, attended the opening of the fourth edition of Swiss Medical School.
Prime Minister Kurti spoke about the cooperation among Albanian doctors, who combine their professional and personal responsibilities with the need for cooperation, discussion and future medical consultations, in the interest of the public health of our citizens and patients everywhere in general.
“I particularly thank you for finding the time and opportunity, alongside your institutional responsibilities in Switzerland, to share your experience with your colleagues here in Kosovo. Through this engagement, knowledge acquired abroad becomes part of professional development here at home as well and, consequently, of the care our citizens receive,” he said.
Prime Minister Kurti also spoke about the Government’s support for better working conditions for doctors, including modern equipment and new training opportunities, while also highlighting the investments made by the Government in healthcare.
Speaking about the concern over what is known as “brain drain”, Prime Minister Kurti also highlighted the opposite phenomenon, noting that 171 doctors returned to Kosovo to live and work during 2025 alone.
“We welcome those who decide to live and work here, and we appreciate the contribution of colleagues who continue to work abroad but occasionally return to their homeland to give lectures, train young doctors or work alongside our teams. This gathering is an example of such cooperation. We want it to continue beyond today, among colleagues and the institutions where they work,” he said.
Full Speech of Prime Minister Kurti:
Honorable representatives of the Association of Albanian Doctors in Switzerland r,
Honorable Minister of Health, Dr Arben Vitia,
Honorable professors, doctors and other healthcare professionals,
Dear medical students,
Honorable ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for the invitation to join you here today at the opening of the fourth edition of Swiss Medical School.
It is a pleasure to see Albanian doctors gathered together, who combine their professional and personal responsibilities with the need for cooperation, discussion and future medical consultations, in the interest of the public health of our citizens and patients everywhere in general. I particularly thank you for finding the time and opportunity, alongside your institutional responsibilities in Switzerland, to share your experience with your colleagues here in Kosovo. Through this engagement, knowledge acquired abroad becomes part of professional development here at home as well and, consequently, of the care our citizens receive.
Today’s program also demonstrates the practical value of this cooperation. From coronary diseases and vascular emergencies to endocrinology, gastroenterology, gynecology and neuroimaging, the topics address decisions that doctors make every day. Decisions that require up-to-date knowledge, careful judgement and cooperation across medical specialties.
This is precisely why lectures combined with workshops are so valuable, as they create an opportunity to discuss experience and analyze cases.
Honorable attendees,
Our responsibility as a government is to support your professional commitment by providing better working conditions, modern equipment and new training opportunities.
In gynecology, investments in the transformation of departments have exceeded 5.5 million euro. We have also operationalized, for the first time, the medically assisted reproduction service.
The day before yesterday, on 5 November, the first birth following a pregnancy achieved through this service in the public sector was recorded. Previously, this service was available only in private institutions at a very high cost, and now, however, the dream of becoming parents is within everyone’s reach, free of charge, in our public sector.
At the Invasive Cardiology of the UCCK, this year we inaugurated the renovated premises and a new angiography machine, thanks to an investment of nearly 1.45 million euro, with the support of the Government of Luxembourg. In Neurosurgery and Vascular Surgery, we have invested more than €3 million to modernize operating theatres and equip them with new medical equipment.
These are some of the investments and new services. We have also improved working conditions in many other clinics and regional hospitals and expanded the services that citizens can access much closer to where they live.
Meanwhile, we have continuously and substantially increased the budget for the Essential Medicines List. For example, from 35 million euro in 2019, the first pre-pandemic year before our government took office, it has reached 64 million euro this year. An increase of approximately 83%. If we look only at the budget for medicines for oncology patients, it has increased from 8 million euro to 22 million euro, an increase of 175%.
We are all concerned about what is popularly, but painfully, known as “brain drain”, whereby our doctors and nurses leave their homeland to work in different countries around the world, particularly in Western Europe, however, in recent years, we have also witnessed the opposite phenomenon, moving in the same direction but in the opposite way: “brain gain”.
During 2025 alone, 171 doctors returned to Kosovo to live and work. We welcome those who decide to live and work here, and we appreciate the contribution of colleagues who continue to work abroad but occasionally return to their homeland to give lectures, train young doctors or work alongside our teams. This gathering is an example of such cooperation. We want it to continue beyond today, among colleagues and the institutions where they work.
In addition, we have continuously opened calls for specialist training positions, for the first time based on clear and precise criteria.
We view cooperation with doctors from the diaspora as a long-term and essential relationship.
I encourage young doctors to make the most of this day by asking questions, engaging in discussions and establishing professional connections. The willingness to learn from one another is part of our responsibility towards the patient and the profession.
Scientific progress, medical care and healthcare management come together precisely at forums such as this one, therefore, I am grateful to the organizers, lecturers and all participants for their contribution to this workshop.
I wish you a successful event and fruitful discussions.
Thank you very much for the invitation and your attention!
