Sabit Brokaj (7 January 1942 – 13 September 2020) was an Albanian politician, doctor, and professor. In 1991 Brokaj served as the Minister of Health of Albania.

Early life

Brokaj was born 7 January 1942, in

Vlorë Vlorë ( , ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foo ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and share ...

during the

Italian occupation of Albania Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional It ...

. From 1959 to 1964, Brokaj served as a medical assistant on a submarine. After graduating from the

University of Tirana The University of Tirana ( sq, Universiteti i Tiranës, abbreviated UT) is a public university located at the central borough of Tirana 10 in Tirana, Albania. It was established as the ''State University of Tirana'' in 1957 through merging of f ...

's medical faculty in 1969, Brokaj went on to serve as medical chief of a brigade in

Shijak Shijak ( sq-definite, Shijaku) is a town and a municipality in Durrës County, west-central Albania. The municipality was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Gjepalaj, Maminas, Shijak and Xhafzot ...

from 1969 to 1972. From 1972 to 1984, Brokaj worked as a

cardiologist Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular ...

at military hospital in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

. He traveled to

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to study cardiology in 1979 and echocardiology in 1982. During this period, Brokaj was one of

Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanians, Albanian communist politician who was the authoritarian ruler of Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was Secretary (title)#First secretary, First Secretary of t ...

's personal physicians. In 1984, Brokaj left the military to become a professor at a medical school in

. He was promoted to Deputy Dean of the school in 1987, and Dean in 1989. He held this position until he left the school in 1991. During his medical career, Brokaj was a rival of fellow cardiologist

Sali Berisha Sali Ram Berisha (; born 15 October 1944) is an Albanian conservative politician and former cardiologist who served as the second President of Albania from 1992 to 1997 and Prime Minister from 2005 to 2013. He is also the current chairman of ...

. Berisha would go on to be

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

and

Prime Minister of Albania The Prime Minister of Albania ( sq, Kryeministri i Shqipërisë), officially styled Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania ( sq, Kryeministri i Republikës së Shqipërisë), is the head of government of the Republic of Albania and the mo ...

as a member of the conservative

Democratic Party of Albania The Democratic Party of Albania ( sq, Partia Demokratike e Shqipërisë, PD or PDSH) is a conservative political party in Albania. It has been the largest opposition party in the country since 2013. The Democratic Party of Albania was founde ...

. Their rivalry continued during their political careers, to the point that reports stated they were not on speaking terms.

Political career

Brokaj entered into Albanian politics following the

fall of communism in Albania The fall of Communism in Albania, the last such event in Europe outside the Soviet Union, started in December 1990 with student demonstrations in the capital, Tirana, although protests started in January that year in other cities like Shkodr ...

, and was seen as a member of the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of ...

's "old guard". He first served as Minister of Health from February to December 1991. He was elected Deputy of the People's Assembly in 1991, 1996, and 1997. In 1992 he was elected to the presidency of the

Socialist Party of Albania The Socialist Party of Albania ( sq, Partia Socialiste e Shqipërisë, PS or PSSh) is a social-democratic political party in Albania. It has been described as centre-left, to left-wing. It was founded on 13 June 1991. The PS is an associate of t ...

. On 25 July 1997, Brokaj was appointed Minister of Defence. His leadership as Defence Minister was seen as lacking, especially because it took place following the 1997 unrest in Albania. The damage to military assets at the time was extensive, and many pieces of military equipment were stolen by rioters. These stolen assets even included Chinese-made HY-1 surface-to-air missiles. To help rebuild the Albanian military following the unrest, Brokaj turned to Turkey and Greece.

Personal life

Brokaj was fluent in

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French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, Russian, and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

. He was married with two children. He died on 13 September 2020, aged 78.Renown Doctor Passes Away, President Condoles His Family
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brokaj, Sabit Government ministers of Albania Defence ministers of Albania Health ministers of Albania 2020 deaths 1942 births Socialist Party of Albania politicians University of Tirana alumni