Deadly Healthcare [Paperback]

Rogue surgeons, overburdened hospitals, medical mismanagement, doctor shortages.

The story of Australia’s own “Dr Death”, Jayant Patel, is symptomatic of a tidal wave heading towards all modern healthcare systems. In this absorbing book, the authors have ploughed through the mass of public inquiry data, interviewing key figures in the affair to reveal in gripping detail how it happened, who was to blame, and how it can be avoided. Drawing on international cases and experiences, they reveal how institutional weaknesses are able to be exploited by individuals with serious personality problems. Hospitals worldwide are facing increasing  pressures from staff shortages and the need to manage financial considerations that impact directly their ability to adequately manage patient care. This is a story relevant and timely for all who are a part of a modern complex healthcare network, from hospital administrators to doctors, nurses, ancillary staff and the patients themselves. The case of Bundaberg Hospital and its infamous “Dr Death” could be happening again right now in your own modern overburdened healthcare system.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. With fascinating detail the authors clearly demonstrate the thin veneer covering all healthcare systems. There are lessons to be learned from this case by all countries. — Sir Graeme Catto, FRCP, FMedSci, FRSE, Immediate past president of the General Medical Council and Professor of Medicine, University of Aberdeen.

This well-researched and racily written account is a cautionary tale about what can happen in the crunch of tight budgets, staff shortages and purblind hospital administrations. The risks of another Patel will increase unless the lessons from this case are well learned. It is an essential and riveting read. — Dr Denis Muller, Visiting Fellow, Centre for Public Policy University of Melbourne and former Associate Editor, The Age, Melboul£g