Manchester, UK—A senior doctor left a patient on the operating table in the middle of surgery to have sex with a nurse, a medical tribunal was told today. Consultant anaesthetist Suhail Anjum, 44, was found in a “compromising position” with a colleague in an adjoining operating theatre at Tameside General Hospital on September 16, 2023.
The tribunal heard that Dr. Anjum, a father-of-three, was discovered by a colleague tying his trousers while a nurse, referred to as Nurse C, had her trousers around her knees with her underwear visible.
The hearing was told Dr. Anjum left the patient, who was undergoing keyhole surgery to remove a gallbladder, specifically to find Nurse C, as he knew she was likely to be nearby.
Dr. Anjum, who is now working in Pakistan, admitted his actions. “I don’t know why it happened. I don’t know what I was thinking,” he said. He described feeling “shame and guilt at this horribly embarrassing incident.”
According to Andrew Molloy, representing the General Medical Council, Dr. Anjum was the anaesthetist for a series of five operations on a Saturday morning. During the third procedure, he told an anaesthetic nurse he was taking a “comfort break” and left the room.
Another scrub nurse, referred to as Nurse NT, went to retrieve equipment from a nearby theatre and came upon the scene. She found Dr. Anjum and Nurse C and described being “shocked.” Dr. Anjum returned to his patient eight minutes later. The patient was unharmed, and the procedure was completed without issue.
Dr. Anjum has admitted to leaving a patient and engaging in “sexual activity” with the nurse. The tribunal is now tasked with determining if his actions constitute professional misconduct and if his fitness to practice is impaired.
Testifying before the tribunal, Dr. Anjum said the incident occurred during a difficult period in his life. He explained that his youngest daughter’s premature birth had put a strain on his marriage, and he was struggling to balance work with family responsibilities.
“I have never had any complaints against me. This was a unique incident,” Dr. Anjum told the hearing. “I cannot express how shameful it is to me.”
He said he “deeply regretted” the incident, which he called the “lowest point” of his career, and accepted his conduct “fell far short of expected standards.”
Dr. Anjum, who qualified in Pakistan in 2004 and moved to the UK in 2011, left his position at Tameside General Hospital in October 2024. He stated he would like to return to the UK to resume his career. The tribunal will continue to hear submissions before reaching a decision.
