Fakin however needs to be confirmed in parliament, where he was already rejected last year to serve as acting director since.

Deciding to endorse the long-time head of ZZZS again despite it being unlikely that parliament will change its mind, some assembly members argued that the government had failed to present an alternative candidate after Fakin was rejected last April.

If the National Assembly fails to vote on Fakin's candidacy before 15 May, the ZZZS assembly will hold an extraordinary session to decide on the appointment of an acting director.

Speaking at the session, Fakin admitted that last year's rejection in parliament had made him think about the situation he had found himself in.

He was critical of the fact that politics has the final say about who should head the public health insurer, and reiterated the importance of autonomy of ZZZS.

Fakin has a vision of ZZZS becoming a "true insurance company", which would not depend on daily politics when it comes to staffing and financing.

"We are a society that is too dependent on politics, which has no know-how to decide on professional healthcare issues," he said.

Fakin does not enjoy support from the ruling SMC party, with PM Miro Cerar saying last week that somebody else should be put in charge of the health purse strings if the government reformed the health system.