Australian inquiry: Patel's negligence cost 13 lives
In its final report, the six-month inquiry also recommended that two senior hospital administrators be prosecuted for their roles in hiring and promoting the surgeon, Dr. Jayant Patel.
The Indian-born surgeon, who completed his residency in New York state, has been linked by Queensland state health officials to the deaths of 88 patients during his two-year tenure at the Bundaberg Base Hospital, including 13 who allegedly died as a direct result of his treatment.
The inquiry was called to investigate why Patel was hired by the Bundaberg hospital in April 2003, despite having been disciplined for negligence by medical boards in Oregon and New York states.
Before coming to Australia, Patel was first cited by New York health officials in 1984 for failing to examine patients prior to surgery.
Oregon officials restricted Patel's license in September 2000, banning him from performing certain types of operations - such as liver and pancreatic surgeries - and forcing him to seek a second opinion in complicated cases.
The inquiry found that Patel "knowingly misled Queensland health officials by failing to disclose his full work history in the United States" and repeatedly performed surgeries he had been barred from doing in the United States.
"As a result of negligence on the part of Dr. Patel ... 13 patients at the Base died and many others suffered adverse outcomes," the inquiry's head, Commissioner Geoff Davies, wrote in his report.
Davies also found that Patel did not adequately record "the true details" about some of his surgeries in patient records, and also failed to report 13 questionable deaths to the coroner for further investigation.
Echoing a letter Davies sent to Patel's lawyers in October, his 538-page report recommended Patel's case be referred to the Queensland state police for investigation of possible manslaughter, assault, negligence and fraud.
The report also advised that the hospital's District Manager, Peter Leck, and its Director of Medical Services, Dr. Darren Keating, be prosecuted by the state's Crime and Misconduct Commission for "official misconduct."
Davies also recommended a police investigation into claims that Keating gave false information about Patel's performance to the state medical board and the Australian immigration department.
The inquiry has no power to bring criminal charges, but Queensland state Premier Peter Beattie said late Tuesday he would ensure that the commissioner's recommendations were implemented.
Patel left Australia in April after complaints about his practice first surfaced. He is now believed to be living in Portland, Ore. He has repeatedly refused to comment on the allegations.
The inquiry was initially called to review Patel's record at the Bundaberg hospital, but snowballed to examine widespread failings in the Queensland public health system.
It has claimed a number of high-ranking officials in the state bureaucracy including the state Health Minister, Gordon Nuttall, who resigned in July.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)