Nphet 'is no old boys club' — We meet the women behind the acronym

It's seen as a boys' club where men in suits make profound decisions impacting disproportionately on women and children. In fact, Nphet is one of the only pandemic taskforces in the world with gender parity. Niamh Griffin meets the women behind the acronym

Dr Mary Favier, Covid advisor to the Irish College of General Practitioners and member of Nphet. "I do always try to support public health principles, but I don’t always routinely support the government, because that’s different. And they are aware of that.”  Photo: Denis Minihane

When looking back at a crisis, it's often asked if it could have been prevented, or if the outcome would have been different, had women been in charge?

During the Covid pandemic, one charge often put forward is that public health policy is too dominated by men - Nphet in effect is a "boy's club".