The HSE could not give a specific timeframe for when a new Director of the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) will be appointed when questioned by this newspaper.
However, a spokesperson told the Medical Independent (MI) that the hope is to fill the position later in 2026.
Prof Risteárd Ó Laoide stepped down as Director of the NCCP at the end of last year.
Prof Ó Laoide, who is a Consultant Radiologist at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, commenced the role of Director in 2020.
Following his departure, Dr Tríona McCarthy took up the role of interim National Director of NCCP in November 2025.
Dr McCarthy is a medical graduate of University College Cork and has a Master’s in Public Health from University College Dublin.
Dr McCarthy carried out her higher specialist training in public health medicine in Ireland and Scotland and is a Fellow of the RCPI, of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine in Ireland, and of the UK Faculty of Public Health.
She works as a Consultant in Public Health Medicine with the NCCP in the areas of health improvement and health services improvement, having joined in 2008 shortly after the Programme was established.
“The position of Director of the NCCP is currently subject to a formal recruitment process, and this process is progressing,” the HSE spokesperson told MI.
“Recruitment for senior leadership positions within the HSE follows established human resources policy and procedures. These include a transparent and competitive process, undertaken in line with public sector recruitment standards and governance requirements. While we cannot outline a specific timeframe at this stage, we would hope to have a successful candidate in post in 2026.”
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