Patel's bail plea deferred till Mar 18

MELBOURNE: The bail plea of India-born surgeon Jayant Patel, who is facing charges of manslaughter and negligence for the death of 17 of his patients in Australia, has been deferred until March 18.

Patel, who is facing an extradition to Australia, was due to appear in Portland's District Court today, but a court official said it was common for bail hearings to be rescheduled according to a judge's schedule, 'The Age' reported on Friday.

The delay will now force Patel to spend a week in the high-security detention centre in Portland before pleading his case to District Court Judge Dennis J Hubel.

Patel, 57, was arrested on Tuesday by FBI from his home in the US state of Oregon.

Dubbed as 'Doctor Death', Patel has been charged in Australia with 16 offences, including three counts of manslaughter related to alleged botched operations he performed on patients at Bundaberg Base Hospital in Queensland from 2003 to 2005.