The second person to be offered the post of head of the Health Service Executive, Professor Brendan Drumm, has confirmed that he will not be taking up the position.
Prof Drumm is head of pediatrics in UCD and a consultant at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin.
He said this afternoon that negotiations to finalise his terms and conditions broke down last night because the HSE had refused to fund his return to clinical work after his five-year term of office.
Prof Drumm said he was naturally very disappointed that he would not be able to pursue his health reform programme.
He criticised the board of the HSE for failing to reach a solution on this issue.
Financial limits
The Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Mary Harney said that while Prof Drumm was an outstanding candidate for the post, there were financial limits to the remuneration package which the Government could not breach.
The HSE said that regrettably it was not possible for it to enter into long-term financial commitments with Prof Drumm relating to the period after the term of office.
In a statement, the HSE said its national management team is in place and the final transition from the previous health board structure to the single, unified, national health service will take place this month as planned.
The head post had already been turned down by Dr Aidan Halligan, the deputy chief medical officer for England, late last year just before the new health body was established. He cited family reasons.
The Chairman of the HSE, Kevin Kelly, was appointed as acting head in the interim.
