Prishtina, October 2, 2025
The Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, took part in the opening of the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, on the occasion of the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, organized by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo.
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Kurti said that Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual international campaign that aims to educate about the importance of breast health and the early detection of breast cancer among women and men around the world.
“The slogan of this year’s campaign is ‘Prevention Starts With You!’, a clear message that shows each of us has an important role. Through awareness and accurate information about caring for our health, through self-examination and regular medical check-ups, we take the decisive step toward early detection of the disease and saving lives,” said Prime Minister Kurti, adding that data show that globally, more than 2.3 million new cases are diagnosed each year, and around 670,000 lives are lost to breast cancer. He said that in Kosovo alone, in 2024, 640 new cases were registered—mostly among women, but also among men—and that this reality obliges us to treat breast cancer as a national health priority.
For this purpose, Prime Minister Kurti noted that the Ministry of Health, in cooperation with NIPH and health institutions at all levels, has prepared a broad program of activities throughout October: from informing citizens in public squares and schools, to lectures for different communities, organizing mobile mammography throughout the month in municipalities without mammography equipment, to educational programs on digital platforms and meetings with women who have overcome breast cancer.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister emphasized that investments have been made in cutting-edge equipment, modern infrastructure, and specialized personnel for higher-quality treatment, while since the end of October 2024, mammographies and breast reconstruction procedures have been permanently free of charge in Kosovo’s public institutions.
For the first time, the National Breast Cancer Screening Plan 2026–2028 has been drafted. This plan will ensure a more organized, fair, and equal access to services for all women, guaranteeing early diagnosis and saving more lives.
Meanwhile, Acting Minister of Health Arben Vitia said that this event is an initiative aimed at raising awareness about a disease that affects thousands of women every year, without excluding men, but which can be overcome with early diagnosis. He stressed that self-examination, frequent check-ups in suspicious cases, and mammography are crucial for the early detection, prevention, and treatment of this disease.
The minister further noted that with investments in the Oncology Clinic, bed capacity has already been doubled, spaces have been reorganized and modernized, offering much better conditions for patients.
Full speech of Prime Minister Kurti:
Honourable Mr. Arben Vitia, Acting Minister of Health,
Honourable Ms. Nafije Latifi, Director of “JetaVita”,
Honourable Deputy Ministers, Dafina Gexha Bunjaku and Liza Gashi,
Honourable Ms. Mimoza Kusari Lila, Member of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo,
Honourable representatives of the UCCK and other institutions, of the NIPH, civil society activists, NGOs, and media,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
We are united today to launch Breast Cancer Awareness Month—the Pink Month.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual international campaign that aims to educate about the importance of breast health and the early detection of breast cancer among women and men around the world.
The slogan of this year’s campaign is “Prevention Starts With You!”—a clear message showing that each of us has an important role. Through awareness and accurate information about caring for our health, through self-examination and regular medical check-ups, we take the decisive step toward early detection of the disease and saving lives.
The data show that worldwide each year, more than 2.3 million new cases are diagnosed, and 670,000 lives are lost to breast cancer. In Kosovo, in 2024 alone, 640 new cases were registered—mostly among women, but also among men. This reality obliges us to treat breast cancer as a national health priority.
The Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo and health institutions at all levels, has prepared a broad program of activities throughout October: from informing citizens in squares and schools, to lectures for different communities, organizing mobile mammography throughout the month in municipalities where mammography is not available, to educational programs on digital platforms and meetings with women who have fought and overcome cancer through their daily struggle.
As Acting Minister Arben Vitia also emphasized, the Ministry of Health has expanded the list of essential medicines, facilitated access to check-ups and mammography for early and effective diagnosis.
Investments have also been made in cutting-edge equipment, modern infrastructure, and specialized personnel for higher-quality treatment. Since the end of October 2024, mammographies and breast reconstruction procedures have been permanently free of charge in Kosovo’s public institutions.
Among many other achievements, for the first time Kosovo has drafted the National Breast Cancer Screening Plan 2026–2028. This plan will enable more organized, fair, and equal access to services for all women, ensuring early diagnosis and, consequently, saving more lives.
Distinguished participants,
This campaign does not belong only to the institutions—it belongs to all of us, to each and every one of us. Only united as a society can we change the statistics and save lives, save more lives. Let us not limit this campaign only to October, but turn every month of the year into a month of care, solidarity, and joint commitment to preventing breast cancer.
Thank you for your contribution and attention.
