Tributes paid to Irish health official ‘central’ to EU Covid-19 response

Tributes have been paid to a senior Irish official who played a central role in developing European Union health policies and managing the Covid-19 crisis who has died shortly after retirement.

John Ryan (65) moved into the European Commission from the Irish civil service and went on to hold a series of senior roles, particularly in public health, becoming the deputy director general of the body’s health department DG Sante.

His death in recent days drew heartfelt tributes from various public health organisations and EU officials who remembered him as a kind man with a brilliant intellect.

The European commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides said he had been “central” to the EU’s Covid-19 response, as well as to the bloc’s policy on countering cancer.

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“His memory and his contribution will be cherished,” she said, adding that she had been “deeply saddened” by the news.

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said that Mr Ryan had “left an indelible mark on public health” and a “rich legacy”. His contribution was “instrumental” in creating EU-wide responses to health challenges, according to the WHO.

Several civil society organisations issued statements in memory of his contribution. He was recalled as “one of our community’s major champions” by the rare diseases network Eurordis, while Mental Health Europe called him a “powerful voice and advocate”. The alliance of civil society health organisations, EU4health, described him as “a true public health champion” who had made an “an indelible mark on our collective pursuit of better health for all” over decades of service.

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