A doctor in the United Kingdom abandoned a patient on an operating table under anaesthetic to have sex with a nurse in another room, a medical tribunal has heard.
Dr Suhail Anjum, 44, and the unnamed nurse were caught in a “compromising position” by a “shocked” colleague at Tameside Hospital in Greater Manchester.
According to the BBC, the incident, which occurred in September 2023, came to light during a fitness to practise hearing after Dr Anjum who had been living in Pakistan applied to resume work in the UK.
He did not contest the evidence presented against him by the General Medical Council (GMC) and admitted his behaviour had been “shameful”.
The consultant anaesthetist had told colleagues he needed a “comfort break” and asked another nurse to monitor the male patient halfway through surgery. Instead, he went to another operating theatre in Ashton-under-Lyne where he had sex with a woman identified as Nurse C.
Andrew Molloy, representing the GMC, said the colleague who walked in on them had been “shocked and quickly walked through the theatre to the exit doors”.
Dr Anjum, who was absent for about eight minutes, later returned to complete the procedure. Mr Molloy confirmed that “no harm came to the patient when Dr Anjum was absent from the theatre and the procedure went on without further incident”.
The nurse who discovered the pair reported the matter to her line manager.
During the hearing, Dr Anjum admitted to engaging in sexual activity with Nurse C and acknowledged his actions could have put the patient at risk.
He said he knew she was “likely to be nearby” when he left the operating theatre.
Dr Anjum told the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service he wanted to resume his medical career in the UK, describing the incident as a “one-off error of judgment”. Giving evidence, he said: “It was quite shameful, to say the least. I only have myself to blame.”
He admitted letting down colleagues and the NHS trust, adding: “I offer my sincere apologies to everyone involved and I want the opportunity to put this right.”
The doctor said the incident came after a “stressful time” for his family, when he and his wife were struggling “to connect as a couple” following the premature birth of his daughter.
