Australia’s ‘Dr Death’ kind, smart—Indian hometown
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An Indian-born surgeon dubbed “Dr Death” who has been linked to the deaths of 87 Australian patients is a kind and brilliant man with a passion for playing cricket, said his family and friends.
Jayant Patel, who left Australia in March and could face murder, negligence and fraud charges if he returns, was the brightest student ever to pass through the medical college in his hometown of Jamnagar, on the west Indian coast, they said.
“Our family is disturbed by the allegations leveled by the Australian government. It is a conspiracy,” doctor G. Monpura, Patel’s brother-in-law and family spokesman, told Reuters.
“We are with him,” said the visibly upset 67-year-old orthopedic surgeon. “I know he will fight it out. They are all lying. Prove him guilty and we will make him an outcast.”
Patel, who has already been banned from surgery in two U.S. states, has been linked by an official inquiry to the deaths of 87 patients at a Queensland hospital in 2003-04, where he was head of surgery at the time.
Staff at the Bundaberg Hospital told the inquiry earlier this month that they tried to hide patients from Patel, calling him “Dr Death” for his botched work.
The inquiry has recommended Patel be charged with murder, negligence and fraud and Australia has said it would seek his extradition. Australian authorities believe Patel, an American citizen, is in the United States.
“I am a firm believer in my son’s innocence,” his widowed mother Mrudula Patel told Reuters by telephone from the family mansion, “Mukund Villa,” named after the Hindu god Vishnu in his role as a giver of salvation. “There is some misunderstanding.
“My children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews are all doctors and Jayant was always the best,” says Mrudula Patel, who refuses to meet journalists or say anything more.
Patel qualified as a surgeon in 1976 and left for the United States, where he became a citizen, and later moved to Australia.
“There is no doubt that Jayant is not only a brilliant doctor but also a kind human being,” says one of his Jamnagar professors, R.T. Mehta, who has stayed in touch. “It is tough for me to believe anybody who challenges his medical knowledge. I know my students well.”
Patel’s family and friends say he never mentioned any problem, telling them only he was leading a comfortable and successful life abroad.
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