A British doctor left a patient unconscious on the operating table to have sex with a nurse in a nearby theatre, a medical tribunal has heard.
Dr. Suhail Anjum, 44, was discovered in a “compromising position” with the nurse by a “shocked” colleague at Tameside Hospital in Greater Manchester.
The scandal, which took place in September 2023, was revealed during a fitness-to-practise hearing after Dr. Anjum, who had been living in Pakistan, but applied to return to work in the UK.
The consultant anaesthetist admitted his actions were “shameful” and did not dispute the evidence against him.
Tribunal documents showed that midway through surgery, Dr. Anjum excused himself for a “comfort break,” leaving another nurse to monitor the anaesthetised patient.
Instead, he went to a different operating theatre in Ashton-under-Lyne, where he had sex with a woman identified as Nurse C.
Andrew Molloy, representing the General Medical Council (GMC), said the colleague who walked in on them had been “shocked and quickly walked through the theatre to the exit doors.”
Dr. Anjum returned eight minutes later to finish the surgery. Fortunately, “no harm came to the patient when Dr Anjum was absent from the theatre and the procedure went on without further incident,” Mr. Molloy confirmed.
The nurse who witnessed the incident reported it to her manager, triggering a formal investigation.
During the hearing, Dr. Anjum admitted he engaged in sexual activity with Nurse C, acknowledging the risk to the patient. He said he knew she was “likely to be nearby” when he left the operating room.
Facing the tribunal, he described the scandal as a “one-off error of judgment.” He added: “It was quite shameful, to say the least. I only have myself to blame.”
The disgraced doctor said he had let down colleagues and the NHS trust, adding, “I offer my sincere apologies to everyone involved and I want the opportunity to put this right.”
He explained that the lapse came during a “stressful time” in his marriage, following the premature birth of his daughter, when he and his wife were struggling “to connect as a couple.”
