Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney and an appointee to the post of chief executive of the Health Service Executive (HSE) have expressed different reasons for the latter's decision not to accept the post.
Prof Brendan Drumm, a consultant at our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, said today he had decided not to accept the offer after a failure to reach agreement on "the critical issue" of establishing a medical post for him when his five-year contract with the HSE was complete.
Prof Drumm is the second person to turn down the role; he follows Prof Aidan Halligan, deputy chief medical officer at the UK Department of Health, who opted last autumn not to accept the post.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio Prof Drumm said he wanted to "return after the five years to a post as professor of paediatrics and consultant paediatrician".
He was in favour of this option rather than making his current post a temporary one for five years because the "service [at Crumlin Hospital] couldn't be allowed to suffer in the light of my going for five years to the HSE".
Prof Drumm said there were many precedents for this activity in the health service and added he had flagged this a stipulation at the time of his first contact with the HSE about the role in early April.
"Last night we came up against something that had been flagged on the 12th of April." He said he had been offered exactly the same package as Mr Halligan.
Prior to last night, Prof Drumm said the biggest issue during the talks was his attempt to bring in a five-person management team to bring about rapid change in specific areas of the health service.
The Tánaiste said HSE could not have offered more than the financial package agreed with him and that it was unfortunate that it wasn't enough for Prof Drumm. She also said the HSE could not offer guarantees on employment once the period of his contract with the HSE was complete.
Blaming difficulties on "contractual terms", Liam Downey, chairman of the HSE, said: "Regrettably, it was not possible for the HSE to enter into long-term financial commitments with Professor Drumm, relating to the period after the term of office.
Liz McManus, Labour Party health spokesperson, said the failure of a second medical expert to take on the post should be seen as a criticism of Ms Harney's failed attempts to tackle the crisis.
"When two such prominent figures from the medical world are offered such a prestigious post, initially accept it and then turn it down, it indicates the extent of the underlying crisis facing our health system."
The HSE must now resume a recruitment process to find someone to run the health service and manage its 97,000 employees and its €11 billion budget. The Tánaiste has said she would like to see the post filled by the autumn.
