Basel canton doctor Thomas Steffen says goodbye

8:30 a.m. at the SBB train station. Thomas Steffen gets his lunch before work. From here he sets out on foot to the health department on Malzgasse. Like almost every morning for the past 10 years. Thomas Steffen goes with almost 61 Years of early retirement. His last day at work is on January 6th, after which he devotes himself to his own projects. His successor Simon Fuchs will take over seamlessly.

For many in the canton of Basel-Stadt, Steffen has been an almost constant companion over the past two years. He was seen, heard and read numerous times in the media. He would also enjoy this work. Being a canton doctor before and during the pandemic are two different things. However, he always tried to «communicate in a simple and understandable way», says Steffen. The population must be able to understand the measures decided.

He would not have thought that the corona situation would escalate again at the end of his term of office: «Well, that was it one of my mispredictions. I thought at the beginning of 2022 I will be 61 and by then the worst will be over. Nobody foresaw that we would hit a wall again », he admits.

A place of retreat during des Chaos

Thomas Steffen is now self-employed and has founded a consulting company in the health and social sector. His new office is not far from his current place of work on Malzgasse. 10 minutes away Thomas Steffen has rented a room in Engelgasse. The premises are also used by his wife as a showroom for their own sewing work. «I moved here in the summer before Corona. The idea of ​​slowly developing in a new direction came to me beforehand. And for me the office is the focal point of that. ”

In the meantime, an office has been created in the premises. There are specialist books everywhere that the still-canton doctor wants to read: “That will be one of the jobs next week. Fighting my way through literature and I’m looking forward to it. ” Steffen looks forward to the new challenge with excitement. He has not yet accepted any concrete orders for his consulting company. On the one hand, there is currently a conflict of interest with his role as a cantonal doctor and, on the other hand, Thomas Steffen wants to take a deep breath first. Which is quite understandable.