West Delhi starts outreach vaccination site in Kathputli colony

New Delhi: The West Delhi district administration has started a Covid-19 vaccination outreach site at the Kathputli Colony transit camp in west Delhi’s Anand Parbat to boost inoculations among residents of the area aged 45 and above

The West Delhi district administration has started a Covid-19 vaccination outreach site at the Kathputli Colony transit camp in west Delhi’s Anand Parbat to boost inoculations among residents of the area aged 45 and above.

Civil defence volunteers ask residents at the transit camp to get Covid-19 vaccine jabs. (HT Photo )

The transit camp houses 2,800 families and was set up in 2016 to shelter residents of Kathputli Colony near Shadipur, as the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) started work on its in-situ slum redevelopment project.

“There are 21,500 people (including children) living in the camp. Though only two Covid-19 cases have been reported in the camp, we wanted people to get vaccinated, and nearly 80-90 people are getting the jab every day,” said Sanjay Gaur, a DDA official in charge of the transit camp.

The district has vaccinated over 550 people at the outreach site since it started operations on May 3. The centre, which is linked to a government dispensary, has a team comprising a doctor, vaccinator and civil defence volunteers.

Ishaan Sharma, officer on special duty (vaccination) in West Delhi, said, “The idea is to get most people vaccinated, especially in clusters where there is a high chance of infection spread.”

Residents of the camp said that many didn’t get vaccinated earlier since they had to pay ₹20-40 on to reach the nearest vaccination site, in Patel Nagar. However, they said the inoculation centre at the camp pushed a lot of people to get the jabs.

Puran Bhat, an artist and resident of the camp, said, “People had to take an e-rickshaw to reach the vaccination centre. Due to the prevailing situation, several people have lost their livelihoods, and can’t afford to spend money on travel. Though district authorities made arrangements for free transportation, not many availed it. But the vaccination site in the camp has really helped people.”

Sharma said some occupants of the transit camp were hesitant to get the shots earlier. “It took a lot of effort to convince the residents. We held meetings with the pradhans of various groups living in the camp. We also held nukkad nataks (street plays) and got announcements made by religious leaders to tell people about the importance of vaccination,” Sharma said.

The number of people coming to the vaccination site is gradually increasing. “Initially, we had just 30-odd people coming to the site, but now we have close to 80-90 people getting vaccinated every day,” he added.

Patasi (65), a Rajasthani folk artist said many women above the age of 45 are now getting vaccinated.

“It has become easier for women to get vaccinated since they don’t have to travel to the dispensary. Earlier, people, especially women, were apprehensive about getting vaccinated. But not now. I tell them to go and take the shot.”

While other districts have not started outreach sites, they are mobilising people in lower income groups and slum clusters to get vaccinated. In Northwest district for instance, some vaccination sites in dispensaries have been planned near densely populated slum clusters.

A senior official involved in the immunisation drive said, “Some sites have been selected in such a way that they are close to clusters. For instance, in Mangoplpuri, we have a site very close to the cluster. Block level officers or Asha workers are mobilising people in the slum clusters to get vaccinated.”

Similarly, east, northeast districts have teams of civil defence volunteers, ASHA workers mobilising residents of clusters.

Epidemiologist Dr RK Sharma said vaccinating people who live in densely populated areas is a must.

“The chance of spread of infection are very high in these areas, as people don’t have enough space to maintain social distancing and isolating a positive person. The 45 and above age group is a vulnerable lot, said Dr Sharma, who is also public health advisor to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).