Cantonal referendum on "Renovation and expansion of the cantonal hospital in Sursee"
| Cantonal referendum | |
|---|---|
| "Renovation and expansion of the cantonal hospital in Sursee" | |
| Result: | Accepted |
| General | |
| Canton: | Lucerne |
| Date: | February 8, 2004 |
| Participation: | 47.77% |
| Recommendation of the Cantonal Council | |
| Yes: | 77 |
| No: | 15th |
| result | |
| Yes: | 78,472 (71.28%) |
| No: | 31,623 (28.72%) |
| Yes votes by district | |
|
|
The cantonal referendum on the “renovation and expansion of the cantonal hospital in Sursee” was a referendum in the Swiss canton of Lucerne that took place on February 8, 2004. The content of the vote was the renovation and expansion of the cantonal hospital in Sursee .
Background and content
The Sursee Hospital, which has been part of the Sursee-Wolhusen Cantonal Hospital (KSSW) since 1999, was built between 1971 and 1975. After around 30 years, deficiencies became apparent at the beginning of the 21st century, including:
- Air conditioning and ventilation systems in need of renovation in the four operating theaters and the associated infrastructure rooms.
- Interior fittings were also urgently needed in the operations department.
- In the hospital kitchen, machines and devices as well as building services equipment would have to be replaced or refurbished in order to comply with the new hygiene regulations and not to endanger the continuation of the catering operations.
- In addition, the operation of the two kitchens in Spital Sursee and Spital Wohlhusen caused additional costs.
- Outpatient care no longer met the requirements due to a doubling of the patients treated compared to 1976.
To remedy these deficiencies, the Lucerne Grand Council decided in a decree on September 9, 2003 to approve a loan of around 28 million francs for the renovation and expansion of the cantonal hospital in Sursee. Around 2/3 of the amount should go into the renovation for value-preserving maintenance measures and to keep the hospital running. In addition, the establishment of an outpatient clinic and the merging of the kitchens of both KSSW hospitals were planned. While a production kitchen was to continue to exist in the Sursee Hospital, only a preparation kitchen was planned for the Wohlhusen Hospital ( cook-and-chill process ), which should bring annual savings of 400,000 to 500,000 francs in personnel costs.
The decree was subject to a compulsory referendum, with expenditure of over CHF 25 million.
Counter arguments
A number of counter-arguments were put forward in the Grand Council. The SVP faction, for example, resisted expanding the outpatient area because of the competition with family doctors . However, this counter-argument was again contradicted by the fact that outpatient treatments only take place when referred by the family doctor. With regard to the merging of the two kitchens, there were complaints about increased transport volumes, additional traffic in the vicinity of the hospitals and job cuts in the Wohlhusen hospital. However, the question of whether the submission of the "Lucerne Hospital Planning", which took place at the same time at the time, should not be anticipated and whether the resolutions should be awaited first was discussed. However, since the submission is largely about the necessary renovation, the majority of the Grand Council did not consider it necessary to wait for Lucerne's hospital planning.
Voting result
The Entlebuch office was the only one of the five Lucerne offices at that time to speak out against the decree of the government council, with only 34% in favor. The decree was adopted with a cantonal average of 71% yes votes with a participation of 48%.
| Office | Voting participation | Yes (number) | No (number) | Yes (percent) | No (percent) | adoption |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entlebuch | 47.16% | 2,039 | 4,014 | 33.69% | 66.31% | No |
| Hochdorf | 48.03% | 14,312 | 4,238 | 77.15% | 22.85% | Yes |
| Lucerne | 48.37% | 36,734 | 14,398 | 71.84% | 28.16% | Yes |
| Sursee | 48.03% | 15,026 | 5'264 | 74.06% | 25.94% | Yes |
| Willisau | 45.28% | 10,361 | 3,709 | 73.64% | 26.36% | Yes |
| Total (5) | 47.77% | 78,472 | 31,623 | 71.28% | 28.72% | Yes |
Voting template
Decree
on a special loan for the redevelopment and expansion of the Sursee-Wolhusen Cantonal Hospital (KSSW) in Sursee of September 9, 2003
The Grand Council of the Canton of Lucerne, after considering the government council's message of June 3, 2003, decides:
1. Dem Project for the renovation and expansion of the Sursee-Wolhusen Cantonal Hospital (KSSW) in Sursee is approved.
2. The required credit of CHF 27,895,000 (price as of October 1, 2002) is approved.
3. The expenses are debited to account 61.10.
4. The decree is subject to a referendum.
Lucerne, September 9, 2003
On behalf of the Grand Council
The President: Räto Camenisch
The State Secretary: Viktor Baumeler