Beyond their reach

The villages that border the city are crippled by lack of testing and vaccine centres

In Bamnoli village, about five km from Dwarka Sector 23 police station, just one government health centre caters to nearly 10,000 residents. It is the go-to place for all COVID-related problems. Inside the dispensary, roughly the size of a two-bedroom house, a room on the left is for COVID testing, and on the right is the observation area for the vaccinated. It is also where those getting tested wait. A few civil defence volunteers are trying unsuccessfully to separate the two sets of people. Though it has been a fortnight after vaccination opened for the 18-45 age group, the dispensary is only vaccinating those above 45. There are two government schools in the village, but those have not been converted into vaccination centres.