LAST UPDATE | 10 May 2022

DEPUTY CHIEF MEDICAL Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, is set to resign his role at the end of this month.

In a statement this afternoon, the Department of Health confirmed that Glynn would be stepping down as Deputy CMO from 31 May.

“The Department of Health can confirm that Dr Ronan Glynn has resigned as Deputy Chief Medical Officer effective May 31 2022,” said the statement.

It comes a month after Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan announced that he would be stepping down from his position in July, after a controversy around a botched secondment to Trinity College Dublin.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin paid tribute to Glynn’s work following the announcement, saying that he had undertaken “tireless” work and “outstanding service to the Irish people”.

“I worked very well with Ronan throughout the pandemic, and his unstinting, dedicated and tireless work in fighting Covid-19 was so important to the health and wellbeing of the nation,” he said in a statement.

“Ronan’s calm demeanour and knowledge of public health played a significant role in our national effort throughout the pandemic.

“I thank him for taking up the role of Acting Chief Medical Officer, as well as his contribution to the National Public Health Emergency Team.

“Ronan personifies the very the best of Irish public service, and I wish him well in the future.” 

Wish you all the best @ronan_glynn as you get ready to step down as Deputy CMO.

Thank you for your unstinting, dedicated and tireless work throughout the pandemic.

Your calm demeanour and knowledge so important to the Irish people during our national fight against Covid-19

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) May 10, 2022

Speaking on the News at One, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that both Glynn and Holohan had provided “enormous” service to the public and thanked them for their work.

“They’re [Holohan and Glynn] two people that have provided enormous service to the public. Want to thank them again, for the contribution that they’ve made,” said Varadkar.

He said that both the CMO and Deputy CMO position will be publicly advertised and open to qualified professionals.

Social Democrats health spokesperson Róisín Shortall today said the Health Minister has “questions to answer” about the high profile resignations during his tenure in office, including that of Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan.

“Questions must now be asked of the Health Minister about the departure of the two most senior people tasked with leading the public health response to Covid-19,” she said.

The Department of Health is chiefly to blame for Dr. Tony Holohan’s proposed secondment to Trinity College being abandoned. Is that controversy also at the root of Dr Glynn’s decision to leave the public service? The loss of knowledge and expertise, both medics had built up leading the State’s pandemic response, is clearly a huge loss to the public service.

She also referenced the departures of Sláintecare executive director and Department of Health assistant secretary Laura Magahy and chairman of the Sláintecare Implementation Advisory Committee Tom Keane last year and the recent resignation of HSE chief operations officer Dr Anne O’Connor. 

“Given the exodus of high level staff from the Department of Health and the health service, questions must now be asked of the minister leading that department,” Shortall said.

“We have heard a lot recently about lessons being learned within the Department. Is the Minister satisfied that staff are properly supported, or are there further lessons the Minister needs to learn about retaining highly qualified people in their hugely important roles?”

Glynn was first appointed as Deputy CMO in October 2018, having previously worked as a doctor with the HSE from 2008.

He briefly took over as Acting CMO in July 2020 and oversaw regular Covid-19 press conferences until October when Holohan returned.

During his time as Acting CMO, Glynn chaired meetings of the National Public Health Emergency Team.

- With reporting by Michelle Hennessy.