Doctors had always treated the patient well, according to the medical treatment standards and with sympathy, said Dr Jesda Chokdumrongsuk, director of the hospital.

"All the doctors and nurses who took care of her were well aware that she was allergic to penicillin and never gave the drug to her, as she maintains," he said.

Dokrak had proven allergic to the drug at a provincial hospital when she suffered from a

severe medical condition called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, that left her blind in her right eye and her left eye partially impaired, he said.

The woman won a court case and was awarded Bt800,000 in damages two years ago for the 1999 treatment that left her blind.

The last time Dokrak visited the hospital was on February 25, when she was diagnosed with an asthmatic attack, bronchitis and tuberculosis and admitted for treatment for 11 days, Jesda said.

Neither of the medicines given to the patient were penicillin, nor were they drugs from the same group of penicillin, the doctor said.

Jesda said Dokrak was discharged from the hospital on March 7, with an appointment to come back again in two weeks for a check-up.

However, Dokrak alleged on Sunday she had sought treatment at Rajavithi Hospital on March 7, but was denied service.

She also claimed that last October a doctor injected her with penicillin last October without studying her medical records.

As a result, she claimed she suffered a similar set of medical reactions she had before losing her sight.

She then informed the doctor who gave her an antidote to recover.

Public Health Minister Dr Mongkol na Songkhla said he had ordered an urgent investigation into the case.

Arthit Khwankhom

The Nation