Medical officials treat a former irrigation worker Supatnimit Lertpattananant, 30, who camped outside Government House to demand assistance and compensation over his claim that a Lampang hospital had left him unable to walk.

Supatnimit Lertpattananant, 30, has camped outside Government House and is threatening to cut and starve himself unless justice is served.

He has demanded the government pay his medical bills as well as compensation for neglectful treatment that left him unable to walk.

Supatnimit was admitted to Surasak Montri Hospital in Lampang province suffering neck pain and other injuries following a road accident on March 26, 2003. However, instead of being treated or examined, Supatnimit said the doctor on duty, Dr Theerasak Phumsithong, simply gave him some painkillers and sent him home.

Later in the day Supatnimit was admitted to another hospital, Lampang Hopital, after he found he could not move his body. Following a detailed examination, doctors told him they would not be able to treat an acute transverse myelitis that had left him paralysed from the waist down. He was treated for other injuries at the hospital but had to check out early due to the cost of the treatment.

Supatnimit said the director of Surasak Montri Hospital, Dr Niwat Boonyeun, later contacted him and asked him to return to the hospital for further treatment. Supatnimit said Dr Niwat told his wife that the hospital would pay him Bt50,000 and set up a fund to pay for treatment until he was healed in exchange for Supatnimit not suing Dr Theerasak for negligence.

However, Supatnimit said that after he received the Bt50,000 and signed an "evil contract", the hospital abandoned him and his appeals for help to other agencies were ignored.

Supatnimit now says he will starve himself outside Government House and if no help arrives, will begin cutting himself. Government House officials yesterday accepted a letter from Supatnimit and invited him and his wife inside, but he insisted on remaining where he was.