Department secretary announces retirement
Professor Brendan Murphy is to retire from his position as Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care.
Professor Brendan Murphy is to retire from his position as secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care.
Professor Murphy has held the role since 2020, after joining the department as its chief medical officer in 2016.
During the Covid pandemic, Professor Murphy led the department through its biggest public health response in over 100 years.
As well as Covid, Professor Murphy also oversaw the start of the aged care reforms.
In a statement, Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler said: “I want to thank Professor Murphy for his professionalism and his help in establishing the health and aged care ministerial office for the Albanese Government. I wish him well in his retirement.”
The Australian Medical Association released a statement thanking Professor Murphy – the first medical doctor to run the department in almost 40 years – for his “collaborative leadership” over the past three years.
“Professor Brendan Murphy was a steady hand during the pandemic, first as chief medical officer and then as the secretary of the department,” said AMA president Professor Steve Robson.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia also paid tribute to Professor Murphy’s tenure as department secretary.
“This was a time when the country, and indeed the world, was trying to grapple with this virus which kept evolving, leaving them with few, if any, precedents to follow,” said PGA national president Professor Trent Twomey.
“It was a time when hard decisions had to be made and Professor Murphy did not flinch in doing what he felt was right and appropriate. He was unwavering in his commitment to protect the communities throughout Australia as best he could.”
Professor Twomey said the Pharmacy Guild had worked closely with Professor Murphy and the department in negotiating for pharmacists to administer the coronavirus vaccines.
“We knew that being the most accessible healthcare professionals meant we could make a very significant contribution to protecting Australians against the virus,” he said. “After some hesitancy, community pharmacies were brought into the vaccination rollout and today have administered nearly 10 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines.”
Professor Twomey added: “I wish Professor Murphy a happy retirement and congratulate him on his achievements.”
Professor Murphy will leave the department on 6 July. A merit-based recruitment process has commenced to appoint a new secretary.
Main image: outgoing secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care Professor Brendan Murphy
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