Sick to Death

This final episode of the Sick To Death podcast series unpacks the remaining rollercoaster ride in the Dr Jayant Patel saga.

Patel's fight within the criminal justice system goes high and low, marked by a successful appeal to the High Court of Australia in 2012 and two subsequent retrials for manslaughter and grievous bodily harm. With the criminal proceedings finally over, the Medical Board of Australia works to rub him out.

In fresh interviews, whistleblower nurse Toni Hoffman and patient advocate Beryl Crosby recall these events and their impact on those closely involved. 

King's Counsel Dr Ian Freckelton discloses his role in ensuring that Patel can never operate again. He also answers burning questions about Patel's conduct, psychology and the capacity of the system to deal with rogue surgeons.

And Jayant Patel reveals to The Australian's Ellie Dudley where his mind is at all these years later.

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. 

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The story of Dr Jayant Patel and others involved in the saga surrounding his two-year tenure at the Bundaberg Base Hospital was far from over when Hedley Thomas emailed the manuscript for his book Sick To Death in late 2006. Two bonus episodes of the Sick To Death podcast tell the rest of the gripping story.

This episode tracks the twists and turns in the pursuit of justice from 2007 to 2011, including Patel’s extradition from the United States in 2008, a lengthy jury trial in 2010 and an appeal by Patel the following year.

In fresh and archived interviews with whistleblower nurse Toni Hoffman and patient advocate Beryl Crosby, they describe and reflect upon the significant events. The Australian's senior reporter Sarah Elks reminisces about covering the trial in 2010 as a junior reporter.

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.

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As Hedley travels to the United States in hopes of a face-to-face interview with Jayant Patel, Geoff Davies delivers his findings to Premier Peter Beattie. The result is a multimillion-dollar cash injection into Queensland Health. 

Plus, life goes on for patients treated by the incompetent surgeon and Hedley picks up the story for The Australian. 

Two new episodes of Sick to Death will be available in the coming weeks. They include fresh interviews and careful analysis of how the criminal justice system dealt with Dr Patel and how it grappled with the extremely rare occurrence of of the prosecution of a surgeon for alleged criminal negligence.

These events aren't detailed in Hedley Thomas' book Sick to Death.The next two episodes, however, will document some remarkable highs and lows in this saga as it wound its way through the courts. 

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.

Queenslanders are outraged when the Commission of Inquiry led by Tony Morris collapses following a successful court challenge by hospital administrators Peter Leck and Dr Darren Keating.

Premier Peter Beattie backflips on his promise to see the inquiry through, but relents in the face of voter fury and appoints the retired judge Geoff Davis as Commissioner. 

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.

What was meant to be a light‑hearted dinner becomes weaponised into a scandal. The fallout leads to calls for Commissioner Tony Morris to be sidelined. 

But pressure doesn’t relent for Queensland Health as another scandal emerges. A bogus psychiatrist was allowed to treat patients. His credentials, the inquiry hears, were “crude forgeries”. 

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.

Two years, 500 gigabytes of audio, and more than 200 voice actors. The Australian’s podcast adaptation of Hedley Thomas’ best-selling book Sick to Death is nearing its conclusion. It’s the story of the havoc wrought on the Queensland medical system by the incompetent surgeon Jayant Patel 20 years ago – and there’s still more to come.

In this episode of The Australian's daily podcast The Front, Hedley and our production team get together to discuss this epic project – and why it still resonates in 2026.

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The Australian's National Chief Correspondent Hedley Thomas provides an update on this podcast series.

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Hedley traces Dr Jayant Patel’s roots in Jamnagar, where former colleagues describe an autocratic surgeon whose unchecked ego foreshadowed disaster. 

Meanwhile in Australia, police weigh a slow extradition as outrage builds among Bundaberg patients. The inquiry hears harrowing nurse testimony about filthy practices and a culture that punished whistleblowers.

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 inquiry into Bundaberg Hospital and Dr Jayant Patel tears open Queensland Health’s culture. Buried reports are resurfaced in televised hearings, hospital staff are summoned without notice, and the government is put under pressure.

As public fury intensifies, premier Peter Beattie urges Patel to return to Australia and answer for his actions. 

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.

A simple Google search detonates a statewide crisis as Dr Jayant Patel’s past is laid bare. The resulting media storm unleashes public fury,  an outpouring of grief from patients and families, and vindication for Bundaberg Hospital's nurses.

With political pressure growing, Premier Peter Beattie finally bows to pressure, apologises, and announces a full commission into how Dr Patel came to be hired at Bundaberg Hospital. 

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.

Nurse Toni Hoffman risks a clandestine meeting with Hedley Thomas, as hospital administrators continue their hunt for the person leaking stories. 

Meanwhile, the Minister and Director‑General fly into Bundaberg to scold staff and shelve the report into Doctor Patel. 

But the cover‑up begins to tear as more stories about Australia’s own ‘Dr Death’ start to emerge.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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