The Role of IVeH in Advancing Surgery in the Balkans: The Creation of the Pan-Albanian College of Surgeons
The Role of IVeH in Advancing Surgery in the Balkans: The Creation of the Pan-Albanian College of Surgeons
Tirana, Albania | February 6–7, 2026
On February 6 and 7, 2026, at the Hotel Tirana International in Tirana, Albania, the Pan-Albanian College of Surgeons — Kolegji Pan-Shqiptar i Kirurgëve (KPSHK) — was formally founded. IVeH President and Founder Prof. Rifat Latifi, MD, FACS, FICS, FKCS, served as Founding President, having chaired the founding council since its inception.
The founding of PACS is a historic milestone for Albanian surgery and for IVeH. It is the first professional organization to unite Albanian surgeons from all territories and diasporas — from Albania, Kosova, North Macedonia, Montenegro, the Presheva Valley, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the diaspora communities of Austria, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, and the United States— under a single institutional roof. The founding represents the culmination of more than two decades of institution-building, beginning with IVeH’s establishment in 1999 and continuing through the founding of the Kosova College of Surgeons in 2018.
The founding ceremony was honored by the presence of senior government officials and academic leaders, including Dr. Bekim Sali, Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia; Dr. Arben Vitia, Minister of Health of Kosova; Mr. Azir Aliu, Minister of Health of North Macedonia; Prof. Dr. Xheladin Draçini, Rector of the University of Medicine in Tirana; Prof. Dr. Jusuf Zejneli, Rector of the University of Tetovo; and Prof. Dr. Mentor Petrela, Albania’s most distinguished neurosurgeon. Their presence confirmed that PACS has been recognized, from its very first day, as a partner to governments and universities.
IVeH congratulates all founding delegates and looks forward to a long and productive partnership with the Pan-Albanian College of Surgeons in advancing surgical excellence for patients and surgeons across the Albanian world and beyond.
The International Virtual E-Hospital Foundation (IVeH) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing global health through sustainable telemedicine programs and surgical education initiatives. Founded in 1999 by Prof. Rifat Latifi, IVeH pioneered the IBOT strategy for building national telemedicine networks in Kosova, Albania, Cabo Verde, and Vietnam. IVeH is an institutional partner of the International College of Surgeons and a Non-State Actor in official relations with the World Health Organization. www.iveh.org
