Doctor who left patient mid-surgery to have sex with nurse at 'low risk' of repeating misconduct—tribunal
A doctor from the United Kingdom is trying to practice medicine again after he left a patient midway through the surgery to engage in sexual activity with a nurse.
Detailing the September 2023 incident, 44-year-old doctor Suhail Anjum, a consultant anaesthetist in Tameside Hospital, was in the middle of a surgery when he asked a nursing colleague to monitor the patient while he took a restroom break.
Shortly after, a nurse walked in to find Anjum having sex with a different unnamed nurse, referred to as Nurse C. The nurse who caught them later reported the incident to her line manager.
Anjum, who is a father of three, went back to the operating room eight minutes later and completed his work. Reports said that no harm came to the patient.
The 44-year-old doctor was dismissed in February 2024 after an internal investigation. The case was reopened after he informed the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service that he wished to resume his career in the United Kingdom and relocate with his family, who had since moved to his native Pakistan.
Anjum did not deny the facts of the case, admitting to engaging in a sexual activity with Nurse C.
"It was quite shameful, to say the least. I only have myself to blame," Anjum said. He also promised that the misconduct would not happen again.
"I offer my sincere apologies to everyone involved and I want the opportunity to put this right," Anjum said.
He explained that the incident happened after a "stressful time" for his family, when he and his wife faced difficulties in their relationship after the premature birth of his daughter.
On Sept. 15, the MPTS tribunal determined that Anjum's actions were "significant enough to amount to misconduct that was serious." Tribunal chair Rebecca Miller said that she considered the risk of the 44-year-old doctor repeating the incident to be "very low."
No sanction will be imposed on Anjum, and the hearing will resume on Sept. 16 in Manchester to determine whether a warning will be placed on his registration.
