Sick to Death: A Manipulative Surgeon and a Healthy System in Crisis—a Disaster Waiting to Happen

Dr. Jayant Patel, better known as “Doctor Death,” shocked a nation when the truth came to light that he may have killed as many as 87 people under his care. This true-life account told by the journalist who broke the story details the horrifying actions of this deviant doctor whose patients suffered serious infections, internal bleeding from nicked arteries, and the mutilation of healthy organs. Banned from surgical practice in the United States, the manipulative Patel managed to commit atrocities in an Australian hospital without consequences for two years. Finally, nurse Toni Hoffman exposed his horrifying behavior, which resulted in a Royal Commission investigation of Patel and the overall health system. This disturbing tale of grieving families and shattered lives challenges the faith that many have in medical systems.