Australia’s “Dr. Death” had acceptable record
An Indian-born surgeon, dubbed “Dr. Death” in Australia after being linked to the deaths of 87 patients, had an acceptable medical record but still contributed to eight deaths, a review of the doctor’s patients said.
Jayant Patel, who was banned from surgery in two U.S. states, left Australia in March after he was linked to the 87 deaths at Bundaberg Hospital in Queensland state in 2003-04, when he was head of surgery at the hospital.
An official inquiry into the deaths has issued an interim report recommending Patel face murder, negligence and fraud charges. The inquiry is continuing and Patel, a U.S. citizen, is believed to be living in Portland, Oregon.
A separate government-ordered review of 221 of Patel’s patients found he had an acceptable medical track record, but he “exhibited an unacceptable level of care” which contributed to eight patient deaths and may have led to another eight.
“In the comfortable majority of cases examined, Dr. Patel’s outcomes were acceptable,” said the review, which was received by Reuters on Thursday.
“In some instances, he retrieved patients from dangerous situations caused by other practitioners prior to his involvement in the patient’s management,” it said.
The review found Patel “lacked many of the attributes of a competent surgeon” but it was also critical of the Bundaberg hospital, saying it lacked many normal safety, quality and complaints systems common with other hospitals.
The review has been given to the official inquiry into the Bundaberg hospital deaths.
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