Indian-origin surgeon Dr. Jayant Mukundray Patel, once infamously dubbed “Dr Death” in Australia, has broken his long public silence. In a recent interaction in Portland, Oregon, with a reporter from The Australian, Patel addressed the decades-old controversy surrounding his work at Bundaberg Base Hospital, where a series of botched operations and patient deaths sparked a major scandal, an inquiry, and criminal trials. Confronted by a reporter asking about his role in those deaths, Patel stated, “I’m beyond that … That’s done, that’s history. … I’m fine.”
Patel is seen being asked by a female reporter whether they can sit down and have a chat about what really happened in Bundaberg Base hospital scandal, but he refused and said he had nothing to say about it and he has "moved on".
He also said that he "won't respond to stupid criticism."
While working at Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia from 2003 to 2005, Patel faced serious accusations from colleagues, nurses, and patients. The Queensland Public Hospitals Commission of Inquiry, headed by Commissioner Geoff Davies, found evidence of dangerous clinical practices, misdiagnoses, and unreported adverse outcomes.
The inquiry reportedly identified 13 patient deaths directly linked to his surgical care, plus many more who experienced complications. Critics also argued that hospital authorities failed to properly verify Patel’s medical history, including disciplinary actions against him in the U.S.
In 2008, Patel was arrested in Portland, Oregon, by U.S. authorities and later extradited to Australia to face criminal charges. In 2010, a Queensland jury found him guilty on three counts of manslaughter (deaths of James Phillips, Gerry Kemps, Mervyn Morris) and one count of grievous bodily harm (to Ian Vowles).
However, in 2012, the High Court of Australia quashed those convictions, citing prejudicial evidence in the original trial. A retrial followed, but prosecutors eventually dropped the remaining manslaughter charges in 2013, after which Patel pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud, admitting he misled Queensland regulators about his professional history. He received a suspended sentence and was subsequently barred from practicing medicine in Australia.
One of the most prominent critics was Toni Hoffman, a nurse at Bundaberg who repeatedly raised alarms about Patel’s surgical competence and transparency. The public inquiry later criticized hospital management for “defective” oversight and a “culture of concealment.”
Patel now lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife who is also a doctor.
Though Patel has distanced himself from his Australian past, the scandal continues to leave a mark. The inquiry into his work at Bundaberg sparked policy changes in how hospitals vet overseas-trained doctors and report perioperative deaths. For many patients and whistleblowers, the story remains a cautionary tale of how regulatory lapses and systemic pressures can place vulnerable healthcare systems at risk.
(Rh/TL)
