Dr. Liridon Gashi

Dr. Liridon Gashi is a senior general and laparoscopic surgeon at the University Clinical Centre of Kosovo (UCCK) in Pristina. With 16 years of surgical experience, he has performed over 2,000 procedures and is one of Kosovo's most experienced surgeons, particularly in minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques.

Dr. Gashi completed laparoscopic surgery training at the Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico in Milan, Italy, gaining advanced skills in laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Italy has historically been an important training destination for Kosovar physicians, given the large Albanian-speaking community in Italy.

He returned to Kosovo where he established a structured laparoscopic surgery program at the UCCK, introducing new techniques and training junior surgeons. He is a member of the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) and works to bring Kosovar surgical standards in line with European best practices.

Dr. Gashi is known for his technical precision, his commitment to minimally invasive approaches that reduce patient recovery time, and his dedication to surgical education.

Dr. Gashi received his MD from the University of Pristina Faculty of Medicine in 2005. He completed his general surgery residency at the UCCK and undertook a laparoscopic and colorectal surgery fellowship at the Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy (2010–2011) — one of Italy's foremost academic surgical centres. His PhD from the University of Pristina in 2014 focused on laparoscopic versus open colorectal resection outcomes. He is a member of the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) and is certified by the Ministry of Health of Kosovo in general surgery. His Milan fellowship under experienced Italian laparoscopic surgeons gave him the technical skills in minimally invasive colorectal surgery that he subsequently established at the UCCK, introducing laparoscopic colorectal resection to Kosovo.

Dr. Gashi specializes in laparoscopic and general abdominal surgery. He performs laparoscopic cholecystectomy, appendectomy, hernia repair (laparoscopic TEP and TAPP, and open mesh techniques), anti-reflux surgery (Nissen fundoplication), and laparoscopic colorectal resection for cancer and benign disease. He manages colorectal cancer with laparoscopic right and left hemicolectomy, sigmoidectomy, and rectal resection, working within a multidisciplinary colorectal cancer team including oncologists and radiation therapists. He also performs emergency and elective open abdominal surgery for complex cases including trauma and bowel obstruction. He is experienced in stoma formation and reversal and manages complex abdominal wall defects with mesh repair. He regularly reviews complex colorectal cases within a multidisciplinary team including oncology, radiology, and pathology to ensure optimal treatment planning.

Dr. Gashi has published over 10 peer-reviewed articles in Albanian and international surgery journals. His research focuses on laparoscopic colorectal surgery outcomes, hernia recurrence rates, and the introduction of minimally invasive techniques in Kosovo. He collaborates with surgical colleagues in Italy and participates in EAES educational programs.

Dr. Gashi speaks Albanian and English and sees patients from the Kosovo diaspora including the large Albanian communities in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria. The UCCK coordinates international patient surgical consultations and can provide English-language operative reports and medical summaries. Video consultations are available for pre-operative assessment of hernia, gallbladder, or colorectal conditions. Many diaspora patients choose to have elective surgical procedures in Kosovo, benefiting from much lower costs than in Western Europe and from the comfort of being treated in their home country by a surgeon who is culturally familiar and speaks Albanian. He also provides second-opinion surgical consultations in writing for diaspora patients whose home-country surgeons have recommended surgery and who wish an independent Albanian-speaking assessment.

Dr. Gashi received the Kosovo Surgical Society Award for Surgical Excellence in 2018. He was recognized by the UCCK for his leadership in establishing the laparoscopic surgery programme at Kosovo's national hospital, introducing minimally invasive colorectal surgery to Kosovo for the first time. He has received EAES recognition for his contributions to minimally invasive surgery training in Kosovo and has been invited as a faculty member at EAES educational workshops on laparoscopic colorectal surgery. He has been commended by the Kosovo Ministry of Health for advancing surgical standards at the UCCK through his fellowship training and for training Kosovo's next generation of laparoscopic surgeons.