A doctor is set to become the most senior health bureaucrat in the country.

The Federal Government has confirmed Professor Brendan Murphy will be appointed as the new secretary of the Department of Health, following the retirement of Glenys Beauchamp.

Professor Murphy, currently Chief Medical Officer, will officially take on the department’s most senior public servant role in late February, when Ms Beauchamp steps down after two years in the position.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday that Professor Murphy had a “long and distinguished career in leadership positions in the health industry and academia”.