View report page

47
Our experience of the treatment of patients
under the agreement is now fairly extensive, and is
somewhat disappointing.
To avoid misapprehension I must say that the
actual treatment at Fairlight Sanatorium appears
to be all that can be desired. The patients return
immensely improved in health with the disease
arrested, and with glowing accounts of treatment
received; but other causes outside the control of
the Council or of the Sanatorium Authorities
operate adversely.
In the first place, we have been unable to
secure the most suitable patients, as these, in the
majority of cases, are the family breadwinners and
whilst they can work prefer not to go away,
especially as in the majority of cases ultimate loss
of employment is feared. For these reasons
application for treatment is delayed until a time
when they are less able to work, and when the
disease has reached a less tractable stage. Others
refuse to undergo the slight dental treatment
necessary to secure to them the full benefit of the
treatment at Fairlight.
As mentioned above, the majority of patients
treated return immensely improved in health
generally, and with the disease arrested, but many
of these, owing probably to the lack of proper
surroundings and suitable employment on return,
soon again become ill
It will also be observed that a very small
number of patients can be treated under the
existing agreement.