Remember that you can vote in municipal and regional elections in Denmark if you:
- are 18 years old
- have permanent residence in Denmark (in the municipality/region)
- are either a Danish citizen, a citizen of another EU country, Iceland, Norway or the United Kingdom or have lived in Denmark, Greenland or the Faroe Islands for at least 4 years without interruption.
Introduction
Short facts about Claus Ljungberg Jørgensen:
- Leading candidate for the regional election for Copenhagen
- Position as a judge and on the Tax Appeals Board
- Master's degree in business economics
- Project manager - IT and business projects
- Lived in Copenhagen, mostly Amager, for 30 years
- Father of two teenagers
- Active outdoor life
Regional politics is often perceived as far away and not that exciting. It shouldn't be that way, as it is important for all of us - especially in these times with a healthcare reform and including a new large Region East. The challenges are many. We are getting older, mental health is taking up more space, we expect more, and resources are scarce.
I have two primary issues that I want to work for:
- Mental health and well-being must be prioritized - for everyone, but especially for children and young people.
- Smart solutions must be thought of, including digital ones, as financial responsibility and long-term focus must not be forgotten.
Other political issues:
- Higher priority for prevention
- Free choice, patient rights and use of private sector
- A healthcare system closer to the citizen
- Safety and security for employees
Private & professional
Private
My name is Claus Ljungberg Jørgensen and I am running as lead candidate for the Liberal Party (Venstre) in Copenhagen for the regional elections. I like to do something that makes sense. Working with health policy and contributing to a Denmark that is better equipped for the future makes sense to me.
I have lived in Copenhagen, mostly on Amager, for almost 30 years, but I am originally from Holstebro and Holbæk. I love nature and being active: I enjoy kayaking, diving, mountain hiking, and running and cycling often. I have grown teenage children.
Professional
I have a master's degree in economics from the Copenhagen Business School and have worked for more than 20 years with IT and business projects in large international companies and public organizations. Most of the years I have worked in management and project management. I have traveled a lot and seen a lot. Although we should be happy with what we have in Denmark, it can be done better, and we can also learn from other countries and cultures.
In addition to my political work and board work for the Liberal Party (Venstre) in Copenhagen, I also have a job as a judge and serve on the Tax Appeals Board. It is part of my contribution to a good and fair Denmark.
As a regional council politician, I will be just as dedicated and thorough as I am on the job and in my other duties. I want to get to know things, and I know that there are many details to master.
Fundamental beliefs & motivation
Fundamental beliefs
I have a bourgeois/liberal fundamental view. With freedom for the individual to live the life they want and that makes sense for the individual - regardless of what others may think. But freedom requires responsibility and equality before the law. Democracy, justice and freedom of spech go hand in hand with this fundamental view.
A strong welfare society does the same. A society where, regardless of background and position in society, people have access to education, a social safety net and, not least, a modern healthcare system.
I believe in the foundations of the society we have built in Denmark over generations. We must take care of that. Therefore, it must be designed and used with care and humility. Everyone has a responsibility to contribute. But contributing can also mean not demanding more than is necessary, so that it is ensured that the hand is held under those who need it most.
This is a basic belief that I will include in my work with the healthcare system.
Motivation
I can see that something must be done to ensure a modern, future-proof healthcare system for everyone. There are challenges in the current healthcare system. Bigger tasks - more elderly people, an increase in children/young people with mental diagnoses and people expect more. There are limited resources - including a lack of staff. Priorities must be made - by politicians, not staff.
The healthcare reform, with its focus on the immediate, is a big step, but it needs to be implemented in practice. The same applies to the government's initiatives within psychiatry.
I have close personal contact with the healthcare system and have my own experiences, both good and bad. I have experienced both cancer and mental challenges in my immediate family. I also have friends/family who work as doctors, nurses and social and health assistants.
Prioritizing mental health and well-being
Especially for children and young people - including prioritizing prevention and early intervention.
Psychiatry is an under-prioritized area that needs to be addressed. We are getting better and better at treating somatic conditions, while we are seeing more people with mental challenges - especially children and young people. This results in lost resources for society. It is serious. Perhaps more than you think.
I myself have family who have experienced chaos in the process and long waiting lists. Efforts must be made to reduce waiting lists and define patient rights, as is seen in the cancer field, for example.
The private sector
The private sector must be seen as part of the solution, so that individuals can take the money with them when they need it if the public does not have the capacity. As it is now, those with resources can afford to pay themselves or through insurance. Using the private sector can be socially responsible.
In relation to somatic health, it is an area that does not require the same investment in extensive equipment, so it is important to get more private players on the scene - for everyone's sake. Just as digital solutions, such as online consultations, are easier when physical interaction and equipment are less required.
Increased skills and understanding
It must be easier to navigate and find the right treatment and treatment places. Since the underlying causes can be many, it can be difficult to figure out where to start. This requires extra skills from, among others, general practitioners as well as case managers in the municipality, so that the individual and relatives receive the right guidance.
However, it is crucial to be careful not to make the normal sick and to remember incentives to believe in one's own efforts. It is important to distinguish between unhappiness and mental illness. As a society and family, we must create the framework for not only a bearable life, but also a safe life. But you also have to learn to tolerate. Life consists of both prosperity and adversity.
Elements that create well-being are communities, leisure activities and exercise, as well as a balanced digital life.
Prevention and early intervention
A greater effort in prevention can save society large costs for treatment – and contribute to more people feeling better. In addition, what can be saved in terms of human resources and improved through timely intervention.
This is especially true in the mental area, where timely intervention can ensure that certain challenges do not develop into real mental illness. This requires the right skills and the right cooperation with relevant authorities – not only in the healthcare system and the municipality, but also in schools and workplaces. Openness, understanding and breaking down taboos are also important.
Private as well as public workplaces will play an important role in efforts that prevent and alleviate, for example, stress before it develops into depression or other problems.
A smarter and more efficient healthcare system
To ensure resources for the challenges of the future, but also to get closer to the citizen.
Efforts, such as in psychiatry and prevention, cost money. The same applies to maintaining or improving efforts in other areas. Especially in light of the fact that we are getting older and that more people expect more.
Something must be done, otherwise savings must be made or taxes will continue to rise. Society also has other priorities, such as defense and the climate area. In addition, there are increasing challenges in finding capacity and employees in the public system.
Therefore, we must think smarter, streamline to make it cheaper, and think digitally.
Smarter and digital
Optimizing and rethinking processes can be part of the solution. Professional boundaries can be challenged, and resources should be used in the best possible way in relation to the citizen. For example, the nurse can help the doctor to be the liaison for a patient when coordination between several authorities is required. This can ensure more time for basic medical work.
Digital solutions have great, untapped potential. First and foremost, by having systems talk to each other, exchange of information between relevant authorities within and outside the healthcare sector, as well as with the citizen.
In addition, consultations, treatments and follow-ups/monitoring can be done online, or healthcare teams with mobile equipment can go out to the citizen – either at the citizen’s home or via a “doctor bus” to several citizens in sparsely populated areas. We have seen a development over several years where retail has moved online rather than in shopping malls. Something similar could happen in the healthcare sector.
Digital solutions, including artificial intelligence, can also be used for planning employee capacity, driving routes, writing medical records, diagnosing, linking and analyzing with foreign hospital databases, tools for early detection of diseases and much more.
The climate must also be considered. Digital and smart solutions create the opportunity to carry out the same activities in a more climate-neutral way. When saving resources.
The private sector
Collaboration with the private sector is important here – both in terms of expanding capacity when the public sector cannot keep up, and in the form of subsidies, so that the money follows the citizen where it makes sense.
The private sector will also play a role in the development of digital solutions, in close collaboration with the public sector. The public sector cannot have expertise in all areas.
Closer to the citizen and rights
It is important that the aim is not only to increase efficiency, but also to bring the healthcare system closer to the citizen. More treatment in one's own home and greater involvement can free up resources and put the patient at the center.
It must also be remembered that digital solutions and artificial intelligence should not just lead to everything running on autopilot. As with the use of GPS: You get used to it and can't find your way when it doesn't work.
In addition, data security, GDPR and civil rights must be prioritized in connection with digital solutions. The possibilities are many - but the consequences can also be extensive if the work with data is not done with respect for the citizens involved.
Prioritization
Not all future challenges can be solved by optimizing and digitizing alone - it will also be necessary to prioritize. This is an area that must be decided by politicians and not employees in the healthcare system.
These may be difficult but necessary choices, e.g. that the cheapest, but still effective, preparations are chosen, and that treatment efforts are prioritized based on “number of life years for the money.” The patient's age and condition must also be taken into account.
There must be respect for the scarce capacity of the healthcare system. For example, there should be a fee if you miss consultations and treatments.
Basically, it is about focusing on the right thing – in the right way.
Other key political issues
Higher priority for prevention
Prevention should be given higher priority – not only within psychiatry. It is also about efforts from the healthcare sector and other public authorities to encourage citizens to live a healthy life or live better with the disabilities they already have. This applies to both young people who need guidance, chronically ill people and the elderly.
Prevention can also include tools, including digital ones, as well as efforts for earlier detection of diseases or research into how diseases can be avoided or treated.
It may be difficult to measure such efforts, but we cannot afford not to.
Free choice, patient rights and use of private sector
Being able to choose where you want to be treated, and that the private sector is used much more, is not about inequality, but about security and common sense, if waiting lists can be combated. The money must follow the from the public sector. This ensures access to services for everyone – and not just for those who can pay, while others wait in the public sector, where there is not always capacity.
It will also be a way to ensure patient rights. Patient rights can be applied more broadly than is done today.
The private sector can also be used for smart solutions and digital tools where the public sector does not have the expertise.
A healthcare system closer to the citizen
The individual doctor must to a greater extent be the one in charge of processes that extend over a longer period of time and multiple treatment sites. It should not be (weak) citizens who are left to navigate a complicated system on their own. If it is not the doctor themselves, it may be other staff who have this task. This can ultimately lead to both human and financial savings.
Therefore, an equal distribution of doctors in the country must also be ensured, as well as fewer patients for doctors with many chronic diseases and multiple illnesses. Improvements must be ensured, not only in areas of Zealand where such problems are known, but also in parts of Copenhagen where it also occurs.
Safety and security for the employee
Healthcare workers should not be forgotten. Just as they must be flexible in doing the right thing for citizens, they must also have the opportunity for professional development and not be forced to move around.
Safety must be a top priority – especially in places where there may be dangerous patients or outsiders who may pose a safety risk. It must be easier to set up scanners, metal detectors and the like – or allow bags to be examined, for example.