Letters
Health services administration Surgery
Volume 196 - Issue 6

“Blunderburg” revisited

Author:  John A Buntine

Med J Aust 2012; 196 (6): 383-384. || doi: 10.5694/mja12.10344
Published online: 2 April 2012
“Blunderburg” revisited is a very well written review of an important, well researched and well written book, Deadly healthcare, which describes Dr Jayant Patel’s disastrous term at Queensland’s Bundaberg Hospital. The review notes that the former Federal Health Minister Michael Wooldridge pointed out that Dr Patel ...
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To the Editor: “Blunderburg” revisited1,2 is a very well written review of an important, well researched and well written book, Deadly healthcare,3 which describes Dr Jayant Patel’s disastrous term at Queensland’s Bundaberg Hospital.

The review notes that the former Federal Health Minister Michael Wooldridge pointed out that Dr Patel “walked into an environment tailor-made for disaster to occur”, but it is not mentioned that another nine acknow-ledged health experts also contributed telling forewords to the book.

The book sets out to explain how a surgeon who was obsessed with operating and who carried out many surgical procedures satisfactorily was effectively encouraged to undertake complex surgical procedures beyond his ability and beyond the resources of the hospital because of undue concern about payments to the hospital via output-based funding. Concern about generating income for the hospital pushed aside the expected primary preoccupation with quality of surgical care. Some were so keen for the hospital to regain its past glory that when Patel (an apparently highly regarded surgeon from overseas) applied to work there, it seems there was little enthusiasm to find out anything which might have discouraged him from accepting an appointment. The same later applied to calling him to account, to the extent that a persistent courageous whistleblower was not listened to by those in authority.

As is made clear in the book and in the review, the important message is that if we are not vigilant, similar disasters may occur elsewhere. However, there is a significant secondary concern relevant to doctors (and to surgeons in particular). This is that although no evidence was presented that he intended to do harm, Dr Patel received a 7-year sentence for operating on people who would have been better sent to Brisbane for their surgery, and for operating on some others who were later judged not to need surgery. It is surprising that his appeal did not result in a reduction of his sentence: were there not mitigating circumstances?

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