A married doctor had sexual contact with a nurse in an operating room while a patient was under anesthesia, a medical disciplinary tribunal heard. 44-year-old Dr Suhail Anjum and the unnamed nurse were discovered by a “shocked” colleague at a Manchester hospital, who unexpectedly entered the room. According to The Independent, the anesthesiologist had asked another nurse to monitor the male patient during surgery so he could take a break. Instead, Dr Anjum went to another operating room, where he had sexual contact with Nurse C. General Medical Council (GMC) spokesperson Andrew Molloy stated that Dr Anjum was the anesthesiologist for five cases in operating room five on September 16, 2013, and left during the third procedure. Shortly after, Nurse NT entered operating room eight and “found Dr Anjum and Nurse C in a compromising position.” Specifically, Mr Molloy stated: “She described seeing Nurse C with her trousers down to her knees and her underwear exposed, while Dr Anjum was tying his trouser cord. Nurse NT was shocked and immediately left the room. Dr Anjum returned to operating room five after about eight minutes. It should be noted that no harm came to the patient during the doctor’s absence and the surgery continued without further incident.” Nurse NT reported the incident to her manager.
Before the GMC case opened, Dr Anjum did not dispute the facts and admitted to having sexual activity with Nurse C, knowing he would “likely be nearby” when he left his patient. He also admitted that his actions had the potential to endanger the patient. Dr Anjum testified to the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) that he left Tameside Hospital in February 2024 and returned to Pakistan. However, he emphasized that he wants to continue his career in the United Kingdom, promising there would be no repeat of his “fatal error in judgment.”
“Only I am to blame. I disappointed everyone”
Testifying, he said: “It was quite embarrassing, to put it mildly. Only I am to blame. I disappointed everyone – not just the patient and myself, but also the trust the hospital had shown me. I disappointed my colleagues who had shown me great respect.” He added that it was “unfair” to ask the anesthesia nurse to cover for him and that he put Nurse NT in a “difficult position.” “Above all, the patient. If my own doctor had left without telling me anything… this destroys me every day when I think about it.”
He said he had always held “very high standards” for himself, as “work is his passion.” “I don’t know how and why it happened, but I wish I could reverse it. I sincerely apologize to everyone involved and want the opportunity to make it right,” he emphasized. Dr Anjum mentioned that the incident occurred during a “stressful period” for his family, following the birth of his youngest child in January 2023. “Our daughter was born prematurely, with very low birth weight. My wife had a very traumatic delivery. It was a stressful experience. We couldn’t connect as a couple during that time. This affected my personal life, my mental health, and my work at the hospital.”
