Professor Niamh Brennan, who has been critical of the "slow and fragmented" approach to health reform in the State, has been appointed to the interim board of the new Health Service Executive (HSE).
The HSE, announced earlier this year as part of what the Government said was most extensive reform programme of the health system in over 30 years, is the first body charged with managing and delivering the health service as a single national entity.
Prof Brennan's own report on reform of the health services was published in June and made 136 recommendations, of which it said 52 could be implemented immediately. The author subsequently criticised the Government's "silence" on many of the recommendations in the Brennan report.
Also appointed to the interim board today were Mr Kevin Kelly (chair), a chartered accountant and former managing director of AIB Bank and Mr Donal de Buitleir, who is general manager at the office of the chief executive, AIB group. Mr de Buitleir is a former assistant secretary of the Revenue Commissioners.
Others appointed include Prof P Anne Scott, professor of nursing and head of the School of Nursing at DCU, Mr Michael McLoone, County Manager of Donegal County Council, Mr Michael B Murphy, Dean of Faculty of Medicine and Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at NUI Cork, Mr PJ Fitzpatrick, chief executive the Courts Service, Mr Liam Downey, former chief executive of a medical technology firm, Prof John A Murray, Professor of Business Studies at Trinity College Dublin, Dr Maureen Gaffney, chair of the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF) and Mr Eugene McCague, a solicitor and partner with Arthur Cox and Associates.
Announcing the appointments today, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said the HSE would be accountable to him for the executive management of the health service. He noted the "high calibre" of those appointed and said he believed the board members had the "right mix of competencies to undertake this major task".
However, the Labour Party said the board was made up of "academics, accountants, bankers and bureaucrats" and had a "noticeable lack of health expertise".
Labour's health spokeswoman, Ms Liz McManus, said the needs of patients cannot be addressed by the board as it is constituted.
"It is important that the new executive will not simply be a cost management body, but is dedicated to improving health care for all patients," she said. "In effect, this is a hugely powerful body and the fear now must be that it will be concentrating on containing costs rather than on delivering quality health services to all patients when they need it.
"Not one of these members represents that community at large. Patients and those who care for them on a daily basis will have no voice on this Board. It is fair to presume that no member of this executive is on a medical card or even depends on the public hospital system for healthcare."