The author of the Hanly report on hospital reform, Mr David Hanly, is among those who have been appointed to a national steering committee to oversee the reform of the State's health services.
A national steering committee to oversee the Health Reform Programme was formally appointed by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin today.
The committee will be chaired by Mr Kevin Kelly, who has also been appointed executive chair of the board of the Interim Health Service Executive. Mr David Hanly has been appointed to the committee and will also chair the Acute Hospitals Review Group.
Other members of the committee include: Mr Michael Kelly, secretary general of the Department of Health and Children; Mr Dermot McCarthy, secretary general of the Department of the Taoiseach; Mr David Doyle, second secretary general in the Public Expenditure division of the Department of Finance; Mr Denis Doherty, chairman, Health Boards Executive; Mr Seán Hurley, chief executive officer, Southern Health Board; Mr Michael Dempsey, managing director, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Ms Maura McGrath, a management consultant.
Mr Martin said the composition of the National Steering Committee had been "quite deliberately" kept tightly focused, reflecting the main tasks to be achieved over the next twelve months in particular.
He said the role of the National Steering Committee will be to oversee the different strands of the Health Reform Programme ensuring its objectives are delivered.
It will provide a co-ordinating forum for the work of the Hanly Group, Interim HSE and the Department of Health respectively. It will also provide guidance on programme planning and ensure direction and progress is in line with the Government's decisions, the minister said.
He said the Health Reform Programme was "unprecedented in its scale, breadth and complexity" and that an ambitious time-table was being adopted for 2004. It therefore required co-ordination and
leadership at the highest level and an ongoing link with Government through the Cabinet sub-committee.