Qld: Dr Death notes for cover up, inquiry told

AAP General News (Australia)
08-18-2005
Qld: Dr Death notes for cover up, inquiry told

BRISBANE, Aug 18 AAP - The rogue surgeon dubbed Doctor Death had written "untruthful"

notes after operations to cover up botched surgery, a Queensland inquiry has been told.

Bundaberg private surgeon Dr Geoffrey de Lacy told the Morris Inquiry into the employment
of Dr Jayant Patel that he had examined the Indian-trained surgeon's records.

Dr de Lacy said he had seen 150 of Dr Patel's former patients and performed corrective
surgery on at least 100 of them.

"Before I operated on patients I thought they (the records) were slipshod, but now
I have operated on them I believe they are untruthful," Dr de Lacy said.

Dr Patel was director of surgery at Bundaberg Base Hospital in south east Queensland
for two years until fleeing overseas on April 1 this year.

He has since been linked to the deaths of more than 80 Bundaberg hospital patients.

Inquiry head Tony Morris said Dr Patel may have deliberately set out to create a set
of notes that looked comprehensive but in fact were not.

Dr de Lacy agreed. "A lot of it is rubbish," he said.

One of Dr Patel's former patients was a man who had been unable to fully extend his
leg after having a nerve plugged instead of having his hernia repaired, the inquiry was
told.

"This man was effectively a cripple for two years," Mr Morris said.

The man has since recovered after remedial surgery by Dr de Lacy.

The inquiry continues.

AAP rad/kj/sc/jo/evt/sd

KEYWORD: DOCTOR INQUIRY

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