Helen Kelly

The CTU today expressed its disappointment at the departure of the Director General of Health Stephen McKernan and recorded its gratitude to him for the skill and commitment he has shown in leading such an important public service.

"Stephen McKernan will be a great loss to the Ministry of Health," said CTU President Helen Kelly. "In an area that is so important to the community he has maintained the confidence of the public in the service and has been a driving force in working within the health community to find new ways to do things better."

"At a time when major changes are proposed to the Ministry and to health overall, losing such a trusted and competent Director is unsettling. Stephen has built strong relationships within the sector and has overseen some very innovative new models of working. He has been able to do this because he is seen as someone that has had high quality health delivery at the heart of his decisions and activities. He is very widely respected and would have been an excellent person to have had at the helm to see through the new changes in a successful manner. It is unclear why he has decided not to stay on in his position but we would be very concerned if the Minister has played any role suggesting he should not reapply."

"His successor will step into big shoes and he will be hard to replace."