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.
25episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 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.
SummaryEpisode 9: Mind Games
Feb 501:05:33Summary readyNurse 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.
SummaryEpisode 8: Grind Them Down
Jan 2901:01:24Summary readyDr 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.
SummaryEpisode 7: Cover It Up
Jan 801:09:33Summary readyDefeated 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.
SummaryEpisode 6: The Bloodletting
Jan 101:07:30Summary readyThe 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.
SummaryEpisode 5: The Messenger
Dec 2501:12:13Summary readyUnrest 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.
SummaryEpisode 4: Doctor’s Germs
Dec 2201:05:29Summary readyDr 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.
Summary