Venko Filipče (, ; born 13 June 1977) is a Macedonian

neurosurgeon Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, ...

, former health minister of

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

from 2017 to 2022, and the president of the

Social Democratic Union of Macedonia The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia ( – СДСМ, ''Socijaldemokratski sojuz na Makedonija'' – SDSM, – LSDM) is a social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in North Macedonia, political party, and the main Centre-l ...

. He served as the health minister during the

COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia The COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia was a part of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached N ...

. In addition to his work as a surgeon and health minister, Filipče has also published scientific articles in medical neurosurgical journals.

Early life and education

Venko Filipče was born on 13 June 1977 in

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

. He is the son of Ilija Filipče, a

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia * Mac ...

doctor and a professor, who served as the minister of health of the

Republic of Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

in the period between 1994 and 1997. Venko Filipče finished his high school in Skopje in 1995. He obtained his diploma from the Medical faculty of

Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje The Saints Cyril and Methodius University () is a public university, public research university in Skopje, North Macedonia. It is the oldest and largest public university in the country. It is named after the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Christ ...

in 2001 and became an assistant in 2004. His specialization in

neurosurgery Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the specialty (medicine), medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system ...

started in 2003 and finished in 2008. Filipče obtained his

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in neurosurgery in 2011 and his doctor's thesis, titled "Evaluation of adequate timing for the treatment of ruptured intracranial aneurysms" in 2015. In addition to his PhD, Filipče also studied for a year at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

and

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

in the field of neurosurgery. He also received training in endovascular techniques in neurosurgery at medical centers in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

and

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

. In 2012, he obtained a fellowship in interventional

neuroradiology Neuroradiology is a subspecialty of radiology focusing on the diagnosis and characterization of abnormalities of the central and peripheral nervous system, spine, and head and neck using neuroimaging techniques. Medical issues utilizing neurorad ...

Career

Filipče has published several scientific studies as the leading author in a variety of neurosurgical journals. He serves as the Secretary of the Macedonian Neurosurgical Association and the Association of Neurosurgeons of Southeastern Europe. Before starting his mandate as the health minister of North Macedonia in December 2017, Filipče was a health counselor to

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Zoran Zaev Zoran Zaev (, ; born 8 October 1974) is a Macedonian economist and politician who served as prime minister of North Macedonia from May 2017 to January 2020, and again from August 2020 to January 2022. Prior to entering politics, he ran a privat ...

and worked as a professor at the Medical Faculty in Skopje. He is a pioneer in the field of neurovascular techniques used in the treatment of vascular anomalies in the brain. Filipče served as the Health Minister during the

, which gave him a lot of exposure during his frequent public appearances and press conferences. On 10 September 2021, following a fire incident at a modular COVID unit in

Tetovo Tetovo (, ; , sq-definite, Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena (river), Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, wit ...

in which 14 patients lost their lives, Filipče announced a written resignation to the PM due to "moral reasons". On 30 June 2024, he became the president of the

Personal life

Filipče is married and has one son.

List of published articles

* * * * *

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Filipce, Venko 1977 births Living people Macedonian surgeons Neurosurgeons 21st-century Macedonian politicians Social Democratic Union of Macedonia politicians Health ministers of North Macedonia Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje alumni Politicians from Skopje