Tony Holohan not to proceed with Trinity College move
In a statement today, Dr Holohan said: "I do not wish to see the controversy of the last few days continuing."
Dr Tony Holohan has announced he is not proceeding with his planned move to Trinity College and instead is looking forward to 'sharing my knowledge and expertise outside of the public service'.
The planned move by the Chief Medical Officer had been dogged by controversy in recent days and yesterday the Taoiseach said the move should be paused and “reassessed”.
In a statement today, Dr Holohan said: "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 1 July 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.
"Following my departure, I look forward to sharing my knowledge and expertise outside of the public service."
It emerged earlier this week that chief medical officer Dr Holohan was being seconded to an academic post at Trinity College Dublin on his existing salary of €187,000, which the Department of Health would fund. The Government had been dogged by questions in recent days over the move, including why the department is funding the secondment.
It was confirmed last month that he would stand down as chief medical officer and take up the position of professor of public health strategy and leadership.
Following the announcement, Provost of Trinity College Dublin, Dr Linda Doyle, said: "This is a huge loss for Ireland's education sector, and for all the students who would have learned so much from Dr Holohan's experience."
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