Sick to Death – Details, episodes & analysis

They called him “Doctor Death”. A surgeon charged with saving lives, but accused of taking them instead.

Gold Walkley Award-winning journalist and creator of The Teacher's Pet and Bronwyn, Hedley Thomas, revisits the story that set him on the path to becoming Australia’s most trusted investigative reporter.

Sick to Death is brought to you by The Australian.

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What happens when a family holiday turns into a nightmare? The Neville family’s summer break takes a devastating turn when young Elise suffers a serious injury, exposing the vulnerabilities of emergency care in Queensland. 

Meanwhile, in Oregon, surgeon Dr Jayant Patel considers his options after a series of failures ends his American medical career.

Do you know more? Contact Hedley Thomas and the team at sicktodeath@theaustralian.com.au

Subscribers hear new episodes of Sick to Death first. Listen at sicktodeathpodcast.com, in The Australian’s app or search for “Sick to Death” on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription.

Plus, get exclusive access to photos, videos, timelines, and more at the website. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Jayant Patel, a disgraced surgeon with a shadowy past, secures a new job in Queensland's healthcare system by concealing his history. 

Soon after starting his tenure at Bundaberg Base Hospital, Dr Patel begins performing high-risk surgeries. Alarmed by a series of poor patient outcomes, local nurse Toni Hoffman starts to ask questions about Dr Patel’s competency.

Do you know more? Contact Hedley Thomas and the team at sicktodeath@theaustralian.com.au

Subscribers hear new episodes of Sick to Death first. Listen at sicktodeathpodcast.com, in The Australian’s app or search for “Sick to Death” on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription.

Plus, get exclusive access to photos, videos, timelines, and more at the website.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Falsified patient records, accusations of gross negligence, and a trail of complaints should have ended Dr Jayant Patel’s medical career — but they didn’t. What happened in America, and how did Dr Patel keep getting jobs?

Meanwhile, in Bundaberg, there is growing alarm among the staff about the growing rate of post-operative complications. Surgical wounds from operations by Dr Patel are collapsing at a shocking rate. More and more patients are suffering.

Do you know more? Contact Hedley Thomas and the team at sicktodeath@theaustralian.com.au

Subscribers hear new episodes of Sick to Death first. Listen at sicktodeathpodcast.com, in The Australian’s app or search for “Sick to Death” on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription.

Plus, get exclusive access to photos, videos, timelines, and more at the website. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unrest at Bundaberg Hospital grows, as staff grapple with the devastating consequences of Dr Jayant Patel’s reckless practices. 

After yet another tragic patient outcome, Nurse Toni Hoffman is galvanised into action. She decides to do whatever it takes to stop Dr Patel – with or without the hospital administration’s assistance. 

Will maverick politician Rob Messenger be able to help?

Do you know more? Contact Hedley Thomas and the team at sicktodeath@theaustralian.com.au

Subscribers hear new episodes of Sick to Death first. Listen at sicktodeathpodcast.com, in The Australian’s app or search for “Sick to Death” on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription.

Plus, get exclusive access to photos, videos, timelines, and more at the website. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Jayant Patel continues to go unchecked at Bundaberg Base Hospital. From botched surgeries and fatal errors to shocking breaches of basic hygiene, the human toll continues to rise.  

More staff raise their concerns, but hospital administration – focused on budgets and waiting list targets – do not intervene.  

Do you know more? Contact Hedley Thomas and the team at sicktodeath@theaustralian.com.au

Subscribers hear new episodes of Sick to Death first. Listen at sicktodeathpodcast.com, in The Australian’s app or search for “Sick to Death” on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription.

Plus, get exclusive access to photos, videos, timelines, and more at the website. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The list of Jayant Patel’s victims continues to grow. 

Fifteen‑year‑old Shannon Mobbs arrives after a trail‑bike crash and has his femoral vein tied off, a cancer patient’s healthy bowel is cut, a man with a punctured carotid artery is saved only when a doctor blocks another risky operation, and a vulnerable patient is quietly hidden in ICU to prevent further harm. 

With the nurses uniting and doctors speaking out, Hoffman decides the only path left is full exposure.

Do you know more? Contact Hedley Thomas and the team at sicktodeath@theaustralian.com.au

Subscribers hear new episodes of Sick to Death first. Listen at sicktodeathpodcast.com, in The Australian’s app or search for “Sick to Death” on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription.

Plus, get exclusive access to photos, videos, timelines, and more at the website.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defeated by the bureaucracy of public health, veteran ICU nurse Toni Hoffman drives through a storm to blow the whistle on Jayant Patel. Politician Rob Messenger takes up the fight in the Queensland parliament. 

With the first shots publicly fired, the media starts to take notice. Will it be enough to keep the reckless Dr Jayant Patel out of the operating theatre?

Do you know more? Contact Hedley Thomas and the team at sicktodeath@theaustralian.com.au

Subscribers hear new episodes of Sick to Death first. Listen at sicktodeathpodcast.com, in The Australian’s app or search for “Sick to Death” on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription.

Plus, get exclusive access to photos, videos, timelines, and more at the website. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Patel books a ticket to flee overseas as the story of Queensland’s own ‘Dr Death’ gains traction in the media. 

Meanwhile, at Bundaberg Base Hospital, management still refuses to acknowledge any wrongdoing. Instead, the nurses feel like they’re in the firing line as staff are rebuked for the leaks.  

But then a late‑night search by Dr Keating shows that perhaps there might be more to Dr Patel than management ever expected. 

Do you know more? Contact Hedley Thomas and the team at sicktodeath@theaustralian.com.au

Subscribers hear new episodes of Sick to Death first. Listen at sicktodeathpodcast.com, in The Australian’s app or search for “Sick to Death” on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription.

Plus, get exclusive access to photos, videos, timelines, and more at the website. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“You know, he didn’t become a bad surgeon overnight.” 

This off-handed comment by a Bundaberg nurse prompts Hedley Thomas to start looking into Dr Patel’s history. A Google search uncovers the incredible truth. 

The Courier Mail must race to break a story with enormous ramifications for patients, doctors, and the secretive Queensland health system. 

Do you know more? Contact Hedley Thomas and the team at sicktodeath@theaustralian.com.au

Subscribers hear new episodes of Sick to Death first. Listen at sicktodeathpodcast.com, in The Australian’s app or search for “Sick to Death” on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription.

Plus, get exclusive access to photos, videos, timelines, and more at the website.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.