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The facilities ottered by the Woolwich War
Memorial Hospital, the Miller Hospital, Greenwich,
and other London Hospitals have again been taken
advantage of by the residents within the Borough.
The Kent County Council, through its Public
Assistance Committee, maintains the County Hospital
at Dartford (631 beds) available for certain portions of
North West Kent.
The relative proximity to London Hospitals is of
great advantage for the obtaining of treatment especially
where specialised or radium treatment for cancer
is required, but a visit to any of the hospitals involves
a bus or train journey and the cost of travelling severely
handicaps many patients. The large growth of population
in this and surrounding districts has not been
accompanied by a corresponding growth of hospital
accommodation. This has rendered the position acute
and leads to reported overcrowding in the County Hospital,
and whilst the provision of 300 additional beds
has been approved, the Council has asked the Kent
County Council that when consideration is duly given
to the siting of further additional accommodation the
claims of this area be considered and that land be
acquired for this purpose whilst it is still available.
In considering facilities for the treatment of chronic
rheumatism the Council decided that such treatment in
the present state of knowledge could most appropriately
be arranged at a general hospital and, as the needs of
this area were not adequately fulfilled, have asked the
County Council to consider the needs of the area in
relation to providing a general hospital in or near the
Borough.
AMBULANCE FACILITIES.
Infectious Disease.
The Dartford Joint Hospital Committee provide an
ambulance for the removal of cases of infectious disease
from the Borough to the Bow Arrow Hospital.
An ambulance is requisitioned, when necessary,
from the London County Council for the removal of
Small Pox, etc.
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