MINISTER OF HEALTH Stephen Donnelly has paid tribute to acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn for his work in the role ahead of Dr Tony Holohan’s return tomorrow.

Donnelly thanked Glynn for his “tireless effort” since taking over from Holohan earlier in the summer.

“I would like to thank Ronan Glynn for his tireless effort during his time as Acting CMO,” Donnelly tweeted.

“He stepped into one of the toughest roles in Ireland and did a fantastic job,” Donnelly said.

“There have been many early mornings and late nights in the office as tough decisions were made and Ronan has an absolute pleasure to work with throughout,” he wrote.

“It will be of huge benefit to us all to have the expertise of [Tony Holohan] and Ronan Glynn as we face into the challenging winter months.”

“I look forward to working with them both. As always, our aim is to save lives, keep people healthy and protect our health service,” Donnelly said.

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Dr Tony Holohan stepped aside from his role as chief medical officer in July to spend time with his wife Emer, who was diagnosed with a form of blood cancer in 2012, who was admitted for palliative care.

In July, Holohan said that he wanted to “give my energy, attention and all of my time to Emer and to our two teenage children, Clodagh and Ronan”.

“I have spoken with the Taoiseach, Minister for Health and other colleagues about this, and they have all kindly offered their support and best wishes to both of us,” Holohan said.

 It is understood that Emer is still receiving care.

Holohan is set to resume his duties as chief medical officer from tomorrow.

Earlier in the week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that “as Dr Tony Holohan prepares to return to post, I was to thank Dr Ronan Glynn for his extraordinary service, dedicated and honesty over the last few months as acting CMO”.

“He’s been a pleasure to work with, in some difficult circumstances, making very difficult decisions,” Martin said.

The chief medical officer advises the government on matters related to health.

The role has become a particularly prominent one as the government and Department of Health navigate the Covid-19 pandemic.

Both Holohan and Glynn have led regular press briefings updating the public on the status of Covid-19 in Ireland, as well as chairing the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).