Plans to double the number of public health specialists - whose job it is to investigate and control diseases, including Covid-19 - will be announced later today.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is also due to commit to giving consultant status to public health doctors who currently get paid less than other specialists.
There are currently 254 public health experts including doctors, nurses and scientists working in eight regional centres across the country.
Their job is to monitor the emergence of notifiable diseases and get them under control. They have played a critical role in managing outbreaks and surge capacity, as well as more complex contact tracing.