According to The Australian, 'medical authorities in the US state of Oregon, where Jayant Patel lives, are believed to have appointed an investigator to track him down following approaches from Queensland's medical board.'
Indian-trained Dr Patel, 55, fled Australia at Easter. It was later discovered that Patel had not mentioned the fact that he had been found guilty of gross negligence in the United States while applying for registration in Queensland.
Toni Hoffman, the nurse in charge of the intensive care unit at Bundaberg hospital, where Dr Patel was a surgeon for two years, believes many patients may have died prematurely or unnecessarily because of his surgical blunders.
Noting that he did not wash his hands before some procedures, she said: "I believe there would be more than 20 deaths, definitely."
Patel must be brought back to Australia to "face the music," she
Announcing that the government was planning to review regulations governing overseas-trained doctors, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie denied accusations of delays in seeking Patel's extradition.
Queensland does not have an extradition treaty with India, but New Delhi would accept a request if the person was accused of a crime that was punishable by a minumum of one year in prison, he said.
"We need to make certain that everything is done to bring him back to Queensland, but it has to be done in accordance with the law," he said. "If we don't get the facts right, we could actually stuff up the extradition."
He also announced that the government would bear all expenses related to corrective surgery for Patel's surviving patients.
"It will be all funded by Queensland. There will be no expense to those individuals, whether they are in the public or private sector. We will pay whatever has to be paid to set this right," he said.
