Toni worked as the NUM at Bundaberg hospital back in 2003 when Jayant Patel was given the position of surgeon at the same hospital.
Right from his first operating list, red flags started to show up. Patients were returning from theatre with major complications. One patient returned brain dead.
She started correlating all the information and started approaching the director of nursing, medicine and finally the executive office of the hospital and they all chose not to do anything.
Eventually she went to the member for Burnett and journalist Hedley Thomas and suddenly, there was a flurry of activity.
Patel had relinquished his license to practice in the USA due to numerous litigations. He had caused similar trauma to patients in Portland. When he arrived in Australia, this should have been checked and never was. He was allowed to practice surgery.
Toni talks about all of this and the impact it has had on her life.
This is an episode not to be missed!