Queensland's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) will not proceed with a range of charges against former Bundaberg-based surgeon Jayant Patel.

This morning, Patel, 63, was convicted on four counts of fraud in Brisbane's District Court, but the DPP has decided not proceed with other charges against the doctor.

They include two grievous bodily harm charges, two manslaughter charges, three of fraud, one of attempted fraud and an alternative charge of negligent acts causing harm.

All charges relate to Patel's time working at Bundaberg Hospital.

Counsel for the DPP, Peter Davis QC, told the court it was not in the interest of justice to proceed with the medical negligence charge, but did not discuss why the others have been dropped.

Today, Patel pleaded guilty in the District Court to four counts of fraud. The charges relate to him dishonestly obtaining registration and employment in Queensland.

Patel will be sentenced in the District Court next week.

Not in the public interest: DPP

DPP Tony Moynihan QC said in a statement he had to decide whether Patel should face a fourth trial for allegedly causing death or grievous bodily harm through criminal negligence.

He said it was not in the public interest to continue the counts alleging criminal negligence.

Mr Moynihan said in making his decision, he had to balance the obvious public interest "in the due prosecution and conviction of offenders with the views of the victims or their families".

He also considered the "significant period of time" since the offences were alleged to have been committed, as well as the two-and-a-half years that Patel had spent in custody.

Mr Moynihan also factored in the "substantial cost of very complex litigation".

"The fact that in the re-trials the defence has presented credible evidence from medical experts and the Crown has not been able to satisfy the requirement of proving the alleged negligence to the criminal standard," he said.

He said Patel was also charged with eight counts of fraud.

The DPP said it was in the public interest to proceed with four of those charges.

"On the evidence, adequately reflect the criminality involved in the allegation that Jayant Patel dishonestly obtained registration and employment as a doctor in Queensland," he said.

"Those matters are still before the courts and I do not intend to make any further comment."

'Justice on the basis of evidence'

Outside court today, Patel's lawyer Ken Fleming said justice had been served.

"The cases have been run and two of them have been lost, in respect of the other," he said.

"We actually conduct justice on the basis of evidence, not upon the basis of passion, which runs high in the community."

"The matter is still before the court and it will conclude next Thursday and after that we'll be in a position to say something."

Mr Fleming says Patel is "hoping he'll go back to the US one day soon".

"But we're going to have to wait and see what the judge has to say because the matter's still before the court and we mustn't pre-empt anything that's going to happen in the court," he said.

Patient advocate Beryl Crosby says she is "devastated" the serious charges have been dropped.

"I think a lot of people feel the same way - it's been such a long time and a lot of victims have held out hope," she said.

"I half expected it, but it's still a shock - you still have that hope that justice will be served.

"I don't think the DPP's decision today had the community's best interests at heart.

"It might have had a few patients who were so tired they couldn't go on and I understand that, because I know these people.

"But there were a lot more that depended on that - justice for one was justice for all."

Former Queensland premier Peter Beattie says he stands by the actions of his government in trying to bring justice for the people of Bundaberg.

But he says he is disappointed by how the matter has been handled since he retired and has accused the current State Government of not being up to the job.

Patel case history

The Patel case has been long and complex and has cost Queensland taxpayers more than $3.5 million.

Patel was arrested more than five years ago in the US and extradited to Brisbane.

But it was not until 2010 that he was tried and convicted in the Supreme Court for the unlawful killing of three patients and grievous bodily harm to a fourth.

He was sentenced to seven years in jail.

However, Patel appealed against the ruling and two years later the High Court quashed his convictions on the grounds that prejudicial evidence had likely influenced the jury.

The court also ordered the case against Patel be retried.

In March this year, the first of these retrials returned a verdict of not guilty to manslaughter.

Last month, the jury in Patel's grievous bodily harm trial was discharged after failing to reach a verdict.