Afghanistan's second vice president on Saturday expressed concerns that despite progress in workforce development, acute shortages of skilled workers remain in the government.
"Capacity development in our workforce has been good over the last decade, but considering our challenges, this is not sufficient to meet our needs in all sectors," Khalili said.
Speaking in a three-day workshop by the Ministry of Public Health, Vice President Mohammad Karim Khalili said that poor human capital is the biggest challenge for the government after security. Khalili urged that all government organs must work to create sustainable capacity and improve human capital in the country.
He also criticized the uneven provision of health services in various areas of the country.
But Minister of Public Health Dr. Soraya Dalil blamed the difference in provision of health services on security problems and political intervention in personnel recruitment.
"Security challenges cause hindrances in providing vaccines to children in many parts of the country. And intervention in recruiting health officials is also a challenge in the Ministry of Public Health," Dr. Dalil said.
Ministry of Public Health statistics show that four out of five children -- around 80% -- receive vaccinations for eight different illnesses.
Thirty-four cases of polio have been recorded in 2012.