The CMO will end his 14 year term today.
(Source: @merrionstreet/Twitter)Dr Tony Holohan will retire from his role as Chief Medical Officer today.
Back in March 2022, Dr Holohan announced his retirement as CMO after being appointed as Professor of Public Health Strategy and Leadership at Trinity College Dublin.
After a lot of backlash the CMO decided against taking the new role.
The new role sparked controversy as people questioned who would fund the role.
Dr Holohan will leave his €187,000 a year role completely.
He's held the position for the past 14 years, and came into the spotlight during the Covid pandemic when he entered everyone's sitting room each day to announce the number of Covid cases.
In a statement made in April, Dr Tony Holohan revealed:
“I have decided not to proceed with my secondment as professor of public health leadership and strategy, Trinity College Dublin.
"I intend to retire as CMO with effect from July 1st to allow the Department of Health sufficient time to advance the process of appointing my successor.
“My strong belief is that this was a significant opportunity to work with the university sector to develop much-needed public health capacity and leadership for the future. In this regard, I would like to thank Trinity College and the provost for their foresight and support in establishing this role.
Junior Health Minister, Frank Feighan, says he showed great leadership during the pandemic:
"He was able to inform and also show huge leadership ability and people trusted him. People trusted his knowledge but also trusted his evidence based and the way he delivered it. That was very reassuring in the very difficult and dark times during the pandemic."
Professor Breda Smyth has been appointed to replace Holohan as interim chief medical officer at the Department of Health.
