Sick to Death
They called him ‘Doctor Death’: a surgeon charged with saving lives, but accused of taking them instead. Dr Jayant Patel ruled over Bundaberg Hospital for two years in the early 2000s, despite being banned from surgical practice in the United States. This gripping true account is the story that set Gold Walkley Award-winning journalist Hedley Thomas on his path to becoming Australia’s most trusted investigative reporter. Based on his bestselling book, the Sick to Death podcast explores a dark chapter in Australian healthcare and the bravery of one nurse who refused to stay silent.
Episodes
Bonus Episode 5: The Last Word
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 Au
Bonus Episode 4: The Waiting Game
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, incl
Episode 16: Dear Dr Patel
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 b
Episode 15: The Collapse
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 T
Episode 14: Payback
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 He
From The Front: How we made the smash-hit Sick to Death podcast
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'
An update on Sick to Death
The Australian's National Chief Correspondent Hedley Thomas provides an update on this podcast series.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 13: Wound Feuds
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 H
Episode 12: Bring Him Back
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
Episode 11: The Breaking Point
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
Episode 10: The Bombshell
“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 kn
Episode 9: Mind Games
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
Episode 8: Grind Them Down
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 pe
Episode 7: Cover It Up
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 He
Episode 6: The Bloodletting
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
Episode 5: The Messenger
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
Episode 4: Doctor’s Germs
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 sic
Episode 3: Wounded Pride
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 Pa
Episode 2: New Beginnings
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? Co
Episode 1: The Fall
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 Tho
Introducing: Sick to Death
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.See omnystudio.com/list
