British doctor has admitted abandoning a patient during surgery to engage in sexual activity with a nurse, an incident that has shocked the medical community.
Dr Suhail Anjum, 44, a consultant anaesthetist at Tameside Hospital in Greater Manchester, left a male patient under anaesthesia midway through an operation in September 2023. He told colleagues he needed a “comfort break” and asked another nurse to monitor the patient, but instead went to another theatre where he was found in a compromising position with a nurse, identified only as “Nurse C.”
The incident came to light during a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing after Dr Anjum, who had been living in Pakistan, applied to resume work in the UK. He admitted the allegations, describing his behaviour as “shameful” and “a one-off error of judgment.”
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“No harm came to the patient during Dr Anjum’s absence, and the procedure was completed without further incident,” Andrew Molloy, representing the General Medical Council (GMC), told the tribunal.
Dr Anjum apologised to colleagues and the NHS Trust, saying he let everyone down. He admitted that stress in his personal life and marital struggles contributed to his poor decision.
The tribunal is considering his fitness to practise as he seeks to return to medical work in the UK.