A life in the service of life

Abstract

Born and educated in patriotic family of the Islamic faith, Dr. Shefqet Ndroqi, during his whole live was dedicated to the service of human life.
After completing his elementary and middle education in his birthplace, he studied for medicine at the University of Sorbonne (1933-1939).
The fascist invasion of Albanian finds Shefqet among the Albanian students actively included actively in protests against this invasion.
While in France, during the German invasion, he was assigned the task to evacuate 45 sick children and 25 pregnant women from Paris to Perigee.
On December 18, 1941, he started the work as Phthisiologist at the Civil Hospital of Tirana, where he organizes the Council of Young Physicians for medical aid to the Liberation Movement. During the period October 1944- February 1945, he was appointed at the 7th Brigade in the first partisan hospital of Peshkopia and engaged in the diagnosing and healing of typhus in the area of Dibra e Madhe. Later, holding the grade “Second Captain”, he served as Chief of the Unit of Infective diseases and Tuberculosis at the Military Hospital and in September 1945, he opened the new Unit of Tuberculosis and Unit of Voskopoja. After 1953, he continued the work as Chief of the Unity of Phthisiology and Thoracic Surgery. He extended his activity to Tropoja (1959), Peshkopia (1961), Mat, Mirditë, Pogradec and Highlands of Tirana (1970). He carried out hundreds of active fluorography screening and clinical examinations In this massive effective activity.
His scientific conclusions helped to organize the work on the treatment and prophylaxis of pulmonary diseases.
He realized healing from tuberculosis according to a wellthought and studied strategy in full compliance with the specific conditions of the country and based on the economic and cultural level of his patients. Years 1945-1990 are considered as successful ones in healing tuberculosis disease in our country.
In 1990-1993, he expressed his concern on the problems of SIDA and drugs, as factors that contribute to the revival of tuberculosis.
Dr. Ndroqi left behind in the service of the Albanian medicine a rich erudition constituted by about 5000 pages and 63 publications.

During his the whole his life as a physician, Dr. Ndroqi was guided by the high principles of humanism. In the new climate created in our country regarding to the right to belief, he was one of the initiators in restarting the religious life in Albania.
He passed away on February 23 2001, at the age of 89 leaving behind the model of man who puts himself with his whole spiritual and body forces to the service of humanity; the model of the dedicated physician to his mission.