Doctor had sex with nurse halfway through surgery while patient was sedated

A married consultant anaesthetist has admitted leaving a patient under anaesthetic mid-surgery to have sex with a nurse in another operating theatre, a medical tribunal has heard.

Dr Suhail Anjum, 44, was working at Tameside Hospital in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, when he was discovered in a “compromising position” with an unnamed nurse by a colleague in September 2013. The tribunal heard that Dr Anjum had asked another nurse to monitor the patient while he took a short break, but instead went to another theatre where he engaged in s3xual activity with the nurse, identified only as Nurse C.

A colleague, referred to as Nurse NT, told the General Medical Council (GMC) she was shocked to find Nurse C with her trousers down while Dr Anjum was tying up his. The patient remained stable throughout the operation, and no harm was caused. However, Dr Anjum was absent from the theatre for around eight minutes before returning.

The incident was later reported to hospital management. Representing the GMC, Andrew Molloy said Dr Anjum did not dispute the facts and admitted his actions could have put the patient at risk. He has since left Tameside Hospital and moved back to Pakistan but told the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) he hopes to resume his career in the UK.

Appearing before the panel in Manchester, Dr Anjum described the incident as “quite shameful” and accepted full responsibility. “I let down everybody, not just my patient and myself but the trust and how it would look. I let down my colleagues who gave me a lot of respect,” he said. “If my doctor had gone away without telling me… this breaks me to pieces every day when I think about it.”

He added that he wished he could reverse his actions, calling it a “one-off error of judgment,” and apologised to everyone affected. He explained the incident took place during a stressful period in his personal life, following the traumatic premature birth of his youngest child earlier that year, which had taken a toll on his marriage, mental health, and work.

The hearing will continue on Friday, September 12, when the panel is expected to consider whether Dr Anjum’s fitness to practise was impaired by misconduct.

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