Jayant Patel, an Indian-origin physician in Australia, who was convicted and jailed for manslaughter, has started a new life in Portland, US, moving past the controversies. In a video posted by The Australian, Patel was seen interacting with journalist Ellie Dudley who tracked down the disgraced surgeon who fled Australia and relocated to the US. The journalist told him she would like to sit down with Patel to talk about what happened in Bundaberg in the early 2000s. “It was ages ago. I completely forgot about it and I’m beyond that. That’s done. That’s history,” he said, adding that he has nothing to say about what happened then. “I don’t react to stupid criticisms, I’m (moved) on with my life. I’m fine,” he said.Patel was given the nickname ‘Doctor Death’ as during his time at Bundaberg Base Hospital in Queensland, there were many complaints alleging dangerous surgery, misdiagnoses, unnecessary procedures, failures of hygiene & post-operative care, and a large number of patient deaths or poor outcomes. In 2010, Patel was convicted by a Queensland jury of 3 counts of manslaughter and 1 of grievous bodily harm in relation to the death or serious injury of patients under his care. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but the convictions were later overturned by the High Court of Australia.Patel pleaded guilty in 2013 to four counts of fraud related to obtaining registration and employment in Queensland (i.e., not to the manslaughter/grievous bodily harm charges), and was given a suspended sentence of two years. In May 2015, the Queensland Civil & Administrative Tribunal banned him from ever practising medicine in Australia.
Who is Dr Patel? What is he doing now?
Jayant Patel was born in India and studied medicine in India and the US. He holds US citizenship and came to Australia to work. But in the US too, Patel faced disciplinary issues in New York and Oregon. In 2015, he returned to the US and as he said he’s fine and moved on.
