AN EXPERT from outside the mainstream Civil Service has been appointed as the new secretary general at the Department of Health.
Dr Ambrose McLoughlin, the chief executive of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, the pharmacy regulator, was yesterday appointed by the Government to take over at the helm at the department.
There was considerable surprise among senior officials in the Department of Health that an outsider had been appointed to the post for which there were a number of internal applicants.
This is the second senior Civil Service post to go to somebody from outside the system.
John Moran, who was appointed as secretary general at the Department of Finance last month, had only been in the department for a year, having worked in the private sector for most of his career.
The appointment of Dr McLoughlin was ratified by the Cabinet yesterday on the recommendation of Minister for Health James Reilly.
He was on a shortlist of candidates selected by the Top Level Appointments Committee for appointment by the Government.
Dr McLoughlin has over 30 years’ experience in the health service, having started off as a dentist before moving into health administration.
As chief executive officer of the North Eastern Health Board between 2000 and 2004, he played a crucial role in ensuring the complaints against Dr Michael Neary at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda were properly investigated.
Dr McLoughlin was a key adviser to the Department of Health on a number of patient safety and public health matters and played a role in managing the threat of Sars and ensuring that the Special Olympics in Ireland were facilitated and supported.
In 2004 Dr McLoughlin was appointed as registrar and chief executive officer of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, the statutory regulator of pharmacy in Ireland.
Welcoming the appointment yesterday, Dr Reilly said that it would have “an invigorating effect” on the Department of Health.
He also paid tribute to the retiring secretary general of the department Michael Scanlan and to “the other excellent candidates” who applied for the secretary general position.
