Online reports – Politics – Thomi Jourdan has no desire for surprises in hospital construction

© Photo by Jan Amsler, OnlineReports.ch

Seems to feel comfortable in his role: Thomi Jourdan.

What annoys him, where the problems lie, with whom he exchanges ideas the most: The new Director of Economic Affairs and Health has been in office for 100 days.

From Alessandra Paone and Jan Amsler

From 8:15 a.m. until well into the afternoon, Thomi Jourdan sat in the Café Mühleisen in Liestal on Monday, drinking cappuccino after cappuccino and answering question after question.

He is in a good mood and seems to be comfortable in his new role. 100 days have passed since he took office. The media are therefore allowed to interview the new Basel-Landschaft Economics and Health Director in stages.

OnlineReports presents the EPP politician from Muttenz with sentences he has started; he spontaneously completes them.

The first 100 days were …

… super exciting.

The most challenging thing for me was…

… the variety of tasks. There were also some topics where I learned things that I wasn't aware of. And of course the depth and breadth of the direction.

What surprised me most was…

… that the Secretary General was on holiday for three weeks when I started (laughs).

What annoyed me most was that…

…that it is repeatedly questioned whether a government council should communicate via modern channels. I am of the opinion that it should. It is part of its job to explain to the population what administration and politics are doing.

What I was most happy about was…

… about the great employees and their willingness to get involved with me and my ideas.

The first thing I did at the directorate was…

… listened and got an overview of the many topics.

I consider the biggest construction site within my department to be…

… the renovation of my office in December.

“…Toni Lauber.”

I found the previous district council meetings to be …

… new experience. Although I have been involved in politics for 23 years and served as a district councillor for eight years, I have found that I am always nervous before a vote.

The new balance of power is becoming apparent …

… not so strong so far.

The opposition party SVP currently seems to me…

… in personal dialogue, quite willing to have constructive discussions and to participate in factual issues.

I experience the government meetings …

… with an incredible number of agenda items – up to 100 per meeting – but also very appreciative.

In government, I exchange ideas most with …

… Toni Lauber.

“…fulfill my mission.”

The university hospital in the neighboring canton of Basel-Stadt must …

… enter into a dialogue with our Baselland Cantonal Hospital with regard to the upcoming infrastructure construction.

The Cantonal Hospital of Baselland must…

… fulfil my mandate and explain how it intends to finance its own infrastructure projects sustainably – in order to prevent us from being surprised by any developments.

The Laufen hospital location …

… enables the health centre to establish an innovative service at the Baselland Cantonal Hospital.

In the future, joint health planning in both Basels must …

… an examination. The Department of Health should present the effects of the health area. The results of this analysis will serve as a basis for clarifying with Lukas Engelberger what this means for our health planning.

I think the planned dialysis center at the University Hospital in Reinach is…

… a consequence of our market-based health system, in which every provider has the opportunity to create their own services. With regard to infrastructure construction, it is all the more important that the two cantons sit together and that our hospitals coordinate their new buildings in order to prevent unnecessary inefficiencies.

The high health costs in the Basel area are …

… an expression of excellent health care, but also of demographic change and our own expectation of always getting the best possible care. But they are also a mandate for everyone to curb cost growth.

The best remedy against rising premiums is …

… to get the development of health care costs under control.

We are addressing the lack of space in our retirement and nursing homes, …

… by fulfilling the task of the municipalities to initiate the relevant projects on the basis of needs planning.

The “health target” that I proposed during the election campaign contains…

… as an idea is still very much at the heart of my approach. It is important to me that everyone gets a table.

When it comes to Corona, I have to…

… ensure that we learn from the past and implement the lessons learned.

“… ask the people of Basel.”

When I hear Salina Raurica, I think…

… that the halt is good for Pratteln in order to clarify for itself in which direction its development should go.

Regarding the postponed feeder road for the Bachgraben development area in Allschwil, I am of the opinion that …

… it would be good to ask the people of Basel whether it is okay for a motorway to be planned under their urban area.

The shortage of skilled workers …

… concerns me a lot, and I wonder how we can solve the problem, because the issue affects many professions and the pool of young people is not growing.

In order to increase the attractiveness of the location, we must …

… be active at different levels: pursue good tax policy, ensure in education policy that we train the right people, and provide space.

Climate protection and economic development …

… is definitely an opportunity that we must seize.

“… reliable hard worker.”

When I think of the forest, I think of…

… one of my priorities comes to mind: we need to put forestry on a stable footing. Currently, a large proportion of wood is used to generate heat. But wood is also an extremely good raw material that we could use for the construction industry. We need a boost for local value creation.

For agriculture, climate protection means …

… a challenge that we must accept – knowing that a balance is needed between the production mandate and climate protection.

Agriculture is facing the challenge of …

… to cope with major climate events.

I experience farmers in the Basel area as …

…responsible hard worker.

“…really cool medium.”

My Basel colleague Lukas Engelberger is …

… incredibly dossier-safe.

I use social media …

… as part of my communication and to make the management’s diverse services known.

For me, OnlineReports is…

… a really cool medium. I hope you keep your courage and willingness to take risks and are rewarded for it.

October 9, 2023

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