US
NRI Dr. Jayant Patel faces criminal charges-
hearing started today in Australia
BRISBANE, Australia, Feb., 09, 2009
Darshan Malhotra
NRI US Dr. Jayant Patel was appointed director of surgery between
April 2003 and April 2005 at Bundaberg Hospital in south east
Queensland, Australia, faces 14 charges, including three manslaughters-
James Phillips, Mervyn Morris and Gerardus Kemps.
In July 2008, Australian Government extradited him from the United
States to face 14 charges including manslaughter, grievous bodily
harm and fraud.
After three years of investigation, today, Dr Jayant Patel entered
the Court along with his lawyers and his wife, looked calm and
relaxed
Dr Kees Nydam, former acting director of medical services
at Bundaberg, first of 74 witnesses told Brisbane Magistrates
Court:
- We failed to conduct even a basic background check on Dr.
Jayant Patel before putting him in charge of surgery at Bundaberg
Base Hospital.
- He had no idea that Dr. Patel had faced more than a decade
of disciplinary action in the US of gross misconduct.
Dr. Nydam witnesses the prosecution plans to call during the
three-week hearing, in which the judge will decide if prosecutors
have enough evidence to send the case to trial.
Ross Martin QC, prosecutor told
the court:
- Dr. Patel spent most of his career working the United States
after graduating from medicine in India.
- Between 1989- l 2001, Dr. Patel worked in Oregon hospital
and there were number of complaints about Patel's conduct.
- Oregon Medical Review Board ruled that he could not perform
surgery on certain parts of the body which related to the abdominal
area including the pancreas and the liver.
- Dr. Jayant Patel was found guilty of misconduct in his role
at the Oregon hospital, and his licence was suspended in 2001
Dr. Jayant Patel moved to Australia because he couldn't find
a job in the United States. He did not worked 12 months. He told
the Bundaberg hospital that he had retired a wealthy doctor and
wanted to return to surgery because he was bored at home.
Ross Martin QC, further told about the details
of Patel's treatment of a number of patients.
- In May 2003, Phillips is alleged to have died as a result
of Patel's negligence during surgery. It was alleged Patel had
not consulted a specialist. The operation was unnecessary.
- In June 2004, Morris died after earlier being operated on
by Patel. Patel had not acted to stop internal bleeding.
- In December 2004, Kemps died after alleged negligent surgery
by Patel
- Patel found a benign cyst during a colonoscopy of Ian Vowles.
But rather than order a biopsy, Patel removed the man's bowel.
The specimen later showed no sign of cancer. Vowles lived.
- Darcy Blight was diagnosed with a tumor in his throat. But
instead of removing the cancerous mass- large enough to be seen
by the naked eye, Dr. Patel instead removed a healthy salivary
gland.
It was alleged Dr. Patel failed to tell the truth about his history
in the US when gaining the necessary clearance to work in Australia.
The committal hearing before Deputy Chief Magistrate Brian Hine
is expected to last three weeks and up to 150
witnesses may be called
Dr. Patel hasn't been required to enter a plea.
