Social Implications

In 1940s, when TB was rampant, getting the TB disease used to be equivalent to a slow death sentence. At that time, no effective drugs to cure TB were in existence.

Furthermore, hygiene and health standards at the time were not good, especially around the World War 2 when health and hygiene was secondary.

As Tb is contagious and spread through close contact, those who contracted TB were shunned and the in Singapore they were housed in rehabilitation centres

This is like today when those who contracted SARS disease were similarly shunned.

The South Winds resort was donated by Mr. Dato Lee Kong Chian as a TB rehabilitation centre to house these TB sufferers.

These TB sufferers earned a living by doing various jobs including weaving, tailoring chicken and pig rearing and chicken egg production.