Portland, Oregon, USA: Jayant Patel, the Indian-born doctor once embroiled in controversies in Australia, has now settled in Portland, Oregon, leaving his past behind. Patel, previously convicted and imprisoned for manslaughter in Australia, appeared in a recent video shared by The Australian, where journalist Ellie Dudley met him to discuss his time in Bundaberg during the early 2000s.

When approached about the events, Patel commented, “That was a long time ago. I’ve moved on, and it’s history. I have nothing more to say about it. I don’t respond to unfair criticism—I’m focused on my life now. I’m fine.”

Patel earned the infamous nickname “Doctor Death” due to his tenure at Bundaberg Base Hospital in Queensland, Australia. During that period, numerous complaints were lodged against him, including claims of unsafe surgeries, misdiagnoses, unnecessary operations, poor hygiene, and failures in post-operative care, resulting in several patient deaths and poor outcomes.

In 2010, a Queensland jury found Patel guilty on three counts of manslaughter and one count of grievous bodily harm, leading to a seven-year prison sentence. However, the High Court of Australia later overturned these convictions. In 2013, he pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud tied to obtaining registration and employment in Queensland—not the manslaughter charges—and received a suspended two-year sentence. By May 2015, the Queensland Civil & Administrative Tribunal permanently prohibited him from practicing medicine in Australia.

Background and Current Life

Born and educated in India, Patel also trained in the United States, where he holds citizenship. He initially moved to Australia to work but encountered professional issues both there and later in New York and Oregon. Since returning to the US in 2015, Patel says he has moved on and is living a settled life in Portland.