Looking for Dr. Death
Notorious surgery bungler Dr. Jayant Patel, who's wanted in Australia for his alleged misdeeds there, is still in Portland somewhere, according to the detectives from Down Under who are looking for him.
"Dr. Death," as Patel has become known, worked at Kaiser here in town before he was nudged out and sent to the Land of Vegemite (shunted along with the help of some positive recommendations from colleagues here who I'm sure were relieved to see him go).
If he is still in greater Portlandia, Patel is doing a good job of laying low. No one's turned him in after months of searching for him.
A few readers of this blog have reported sightings of Patel, however, and a couple claim to have been quick enough to catch him with their cell phone cameras. I'm not sure whether to believe them or not -- judge for yourself. This shot was taken in Tualatin last weekend, and here's another one from July 30 right here in town. There's also a strong resemblance to the guy in this one taken earlier this summer in Seattle.
With all the leads the detectives have, it's amazing that they can't catch this guy. If all else fails, though, they can always wait and apprehend him at Steve Houze's client appreciation party at Christmastime. I hope Steve doesn't ask him to carve the turkey.
| Posted at 4:12 PM | Permalink |
|
Comments (8)
He's probably writing lots of Sudafed prescriptions.
Posted by Cousin Jim | August 17, 2005 4:34 PM
Rim Shot of the Day!
Posted by Jack Bog | August 17, 2005 4:36 PM
Do I also see Martha Stewart in that photo in Tualatin? Wow--what a party!
Posted by Dave J. | August 17, 2005 4:55 PM
You seem to have forgotten the fact that he's a doctor. You know, those people who are gods.
Patel is the reason we should never ever cap malpractice payments to injured patients or to families who have suffered the loss of a loved one due to the Patels of the world.
Oh, and the doctors who let him go for so long are another reason we should never cap those payments.
Posted by Sid | August 17, 2005 5:22 PM
Call me a masochist, but I still want my complimentary "I survived Dr. Death" t-shirt. In black, of course...
Posted by Betsy | August 17, 2005 10:56 PM
What? I thought Patel was in custody a couple months ago. What happened?
Oh, right, not enough funding for police. But at least we are getting an aerial tram [rim shot]. Take THAT Shelbyville!
Posted by Scott-in-Japan | August 18, 2005 1:57 PM
Scott: Your humor is starting to get as one-dimensional as that of Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog! 8c)
Posted by Jack Bog | August 18, 2005 2:37 PM
Jack - Point taken. But for the record, focused humor is a curse for those of us who pay $500 everytime a meth-user breaks into their car and steals the radio. And since it's the SAME kid breaking in, humor seems the best route.
Unless, of course, the City Council builds an aerial tram [rim shot] from my house to work....
Posted by Scott-in-Japan | August 18, 2005 4:16 PM