Podcast
Sick to Death
Hosted by The Australian · EN
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.
Subscribers to The Australian hear new episodes first at sicktodeathpodcast.com. Plus, get exclusive access to photos, videos, timelines, and more at the website.
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Bonus Episode 4: The Waiting Game
Apr 901:10:11Summary readyThe 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryEpisode 15: The Collapse
Mar 1300:58:34Summary readyQueenslanders 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.
SummaryEpisode 14: Payback
Mar 1300:53:42Summary readyWhat 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 websiteSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryEpisode 16: Dear Dr Patel
Mar 1300:53:09Summary readyAs 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.
Summary
From The Front: How we made the smash-hit Sick to Death podcast
Mar 1300:20:56Summary readyTwo 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryAn update on Sick to Death
Mar 1300:01:38Summary readyThe Australian's National Chief Correspondent Hedley Thomas provides an update on this podcast series.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryEpisode 13: Wound Feuds
Mar 1200:55:08Summary readyHedley 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.
SummaryEpisode 12: Bring Him Back
Mar 501:05:19Summary readyThe 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.
SummaryEpisode 11: The Breaking Point
Feb 2601:05:18Summary readyA 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.
SummaryEpisode 10: The Bombshell
Feb 1201:03:28Summary ready“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.
Summary