Oz prosecutor says 'Dr. Death's' surgeries were 'out of the loop'

Brisbane, June 16 (ANI): Brisbane Supreme Court prosecutor Ross Martin on Wednesday claimed that the Indian-origin Dr. Jayant Patel's complicated surgeries were 'out of the loop' for someone with such little experience.

Martin told a jury of the apex court that was hearing manslaughter charges against Patel, who is also known as 'Dr. Death' that the oesophagectomies (the removal of part/s of a cancerous oesophagus) conducted by Patel were way below acceptable norms.

"There are 20 to 25 surgeons in the whole country. It gives you an idea of the scope. It works out at about four per state and you realise the bigger states have bigger populations. In Brisbane, we have a series of hospitals - Princess Alexandra, Royal Brisbane, Prince Charles, etc. We have four surgeons who do them in Brisbane plus one in Bundaberg - it gives you some idea of how off it was conducting oesophagectomies in Bundaberg," news.com.au quoted Martin, as saying.

He was addressing the jury on the 48th day of trial in which Patel, 60, has pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of Gerry Kemps, 77, James Phillips, 46, and Mervyn Morris, 75, and to causing grievous bodily harm to Ian Rodney Vowles, 62, on various dates between March 2003 and April 2005.

According to Martin as a surgeon, Patel was over ambitious and out of his depth.

The trial before Justice John Byrne continues. (ANI)