Žepič, 49, has been managing the Paediatric Clinic, a member of UKC Ljubljana, since June 2018, having previously served at managerial positions mainly in the banking sector.

A graduate of the Ljubljana Faculty of Social Sciences, he served as chairman of Hranilnica Lon, a savings bank, between 2006 and 2014. Before that, he had been on the bank's management board for six years.

He later joined Deželna Banka Slovenije (DBS), a small privately-held bank, serving as advisor to the management and as the head of the personnel department, and of the marketing and communication service.

He became manager of the Paediatric Clinic under Šabeder's guide as UKC Ljubljana director general. Šabeder previously served as the boss of DBS-owned seed producer Semenarna Ljubljana.

"He advocates a professional approach to processes in his work, has implemented some instances of best practice, motivated the employees and produced concrete results. The Paediatric Clinic performed better than planned last year, although still at a loss," UKC said.

This was echoed by the head of the UKC Ljubljana council, Jože Golobič, who said that Žepič was his first choice, also because of the improved business results and atmosphere at the children's hospital.

"I believe Mr Žepič will successfully resume the planned measures of restructuring and business excellence at the institution," Golobič said.

The selection procedure to appoint a full-term manager is to be launched at one of the council's coming sessions. Once the council makes the appointment, it needs to be endorsed by Šabeder as health minister.

"At any rate, we would like to get a full-term director before the holidays, that is in June, or at the beginning of July at the latest," Golobič said.

Žepič said it was premature of him to say whether he would apply for the post, but announced: "We're starting tomorrow full steam to realise all the projects running at the medical centre."

As his priorities he highlighted the hospital's restructuring and reorganisation, as well as negotiations with the state-run health insurance institute ZZZS to increase the funding of services.

Golobič expects the new management to continue with optimisation of business processes. He believes the key to long-term development is "resolute cooperation with business partners and being open to the employees' ideas".

Žepič is the 14th director general to be appointed at the Ljubljana University Medical Centre since its inception in the late 1960s and the seventh in the past decade. Šabeder served for just over a year.

Employing 8,376 people, UKC Ljubljana reported a loss of EUR 23m for 2018, which compares to the target loss of EUR 15m.

In 2017, the hospital made a deficit of EUR 33.5m, turning it into a surplus of EUR 46.4m after receiving almost EUR 80m under the government hospital bailout plan.