Dr Colm Henry and Dr Tony Holohan

Dr Colm Henry is the chief clinical officer of the HSE. He was the health service's national clinical adviser and programme lead for acute hospitals at the time he was made aware of a dispute between CervicalCheck, the national cervical screening programme, and colposcopists around the country, whose responsibility it was to tell women with cervical cancer about past false negative smear tests.

He was appointed consultant geriatrician at Mercy University Hospital in Cork in 2002 and was the hospital's clinical director from 2009 to 2012. A UCD graduate, he registered as a doctor in 1989.

Dr Tony Holohan

Dr Tony Holohan has been chief medical officer at the Department of Health since 2008. A medical graduate of UCD, he trained in general practice and later in public health medicine. He was appointed deputy chief medical officer at the department in 2001 and worked on policy development in cancer control, primary care and health information.

As the most senior Government adviser on health, he holds a key role in the country’s health policy and helps to guide the Government’s response to medical and health crises.