Second Balkan Intensive Seminar on Telemedicine and e-Health: October 2123, 2007 Tirana, Albania

The First Intensive Balkan Telemedicine and e-Health Seminar was held in the war-ravaged capital of Kosova, Prishtina, in 2002. This event was created under the auspices of the International Virtual e Hospital (IVeH). This organization, the brain child of Rifat Latifi, M.D., was established with the intent to establish a medical capability using telemedicine in an environment where the health infrastructure had been totally destroyed by war. Recently, the IVeH opened six regional telemedicine centers in Kosova. These centers are in the cities of Gjilan, Prizren, Gjakove, Peja, Skenderaj, and Mitrovica. These centers cover the entire country through a telemedicine network. Recently, the Second Intensive Seminar was organized and held October 21-23, 2007, in Tirana, Albania. It was organized to broaden the concept of telemedicine and e-health in the Balkans region, and to introduce telemedicine in Albania, which was an ideal choice for holding the seminar. The seminar represented a significant step for Albania as it embraces the concept of telemedicine. These important events have shaped telemedicine development in the Balkans and are serving as a model for the rest of the South Eastern European countries to embrace telemedicine and e-health. This paper summarizes the events of this second seminar and addresses the importance telemedicine has for the region.