There is yet another delay in the Dr. Jayant Patel manslaughter trial. Justice John Byrne gave the jury a day off on Thursday agreeing to meet on Friday. He parted with encouraging words to the jury saying, "During the Second World War, so I'm told, at times when things were quiet for the soldiers, they were often encouraged with the words of (17th century poet John) Milton from three centuries earlier: `They also serve who only sit and wait'…I mention this because your involvement today now ceases and it will be not necessary for you to be involved in the trial for the rest of the day."
On Friday evidence from Dr Peter Miach, a renal specialist at Bundaberg Base Hospital is scheduled to be heard. Dr. Miach came on the stand on Wednesday afternoon at the beginning of the crown's case relating to James Edward Phillips, 46. The crown alleges that Patel should not have performed oesophagectomy or surgical removal of the food pipe on Mr Phillips due to throat cancer in April 2003 and also that the hospital was ill-equipped for this procedure.
Patel has pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Phillips and two other men, as well as the grievous bodily harm of another man. These charges are brought against him while he was the director of surgery at the hospital between 2003 and 2005.
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