A month and a half after Arben Vitia resigned from the post of Minister of Health, the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti has appointed Rifat Latifi as the new Minister in this position. Latifi is a surgeon at Westchester Medical Center, New York. 

This was announced by Prime Minister Albin Kurti at a press conference. "As Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, I have just signed the decision for the new Minister of Health. The new Minister of Health in the Government of the Republic of Kosovo will be Professor Dr. Rifat Latifi", he said. Kurti said that Latifi came to Pristina on Sunday from New York. 

According to him, he has continuously contributed to the promotion of health in Kosovo. "He came the day before yesterday from New York to Pristina. He studied medicine at the University of Prishtina and then completed two specializations, that of general surgery and traumatology and resuscitation in New York of the United States of America. His academic and professional experience includes reputable hospitals and universities in several US federal states." 

While taking office, Latifi said that together with his team will be committed to raise medical standards in the long run. On this occasion, he also promised to increase health services. 

"I promise that my team and I will be committed with all our being to raise medical standards in the long run, by raising the education and training of all specialties as well as building the abilities of human capacity for scientific research in medical sciences, for doctors, as well as for nurses and all other health workers. By building human capacity we invest in raising the quality of services and thus increase the volume of medical services in Kosovo. With the income from these services, we reinvest again in quality", he added. 

The Albanian-American doctor, Rifat Latifi is not an unknown name in Kosovo. Earlier, he was also an advisor to former Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi. This is also evidenced on the official website of the Office of the Prime Minister. 

On the evening of March 16, 2009, the Office of the Prime Minister announced that Latifi had been appointed Thaçi's external health adviser. The announcement stated that “the appointment of Dr. Latifi in this position is a concretization of commitments in the health sector, which is one of the strategic priorities of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo. 

Dr. Latifi has also made an outstanding academic contribution through the publication of eight books and over 100 scientific articles as an author or co-author. He is a Kosovar who has spent his life being committed to the well-being of patients in Kosovo and abroad, as well as with concrete commitments in order to reform health care in Kosovo", it was said in the then announcement.