In a shocking event, a Pakistani-origin doctor in the United Kingdom (UK) abandoned his patient on the operation table to have sex with a nurse.
According to foreign media reports, 44-year-old Dr Suhail Anjum, a consultant anesthetist, and the nurse were caught in a “compromising position” by a “shocked” colleague at Tameside Hospital in Greater Manchester.
The incident, which took place in September 2023, surfaced during a fitness practice hearing after the doctor, who had been living in Pakistan, applied to work in the UK once again.
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) was told that Dr Anjum had asked another nursing colleague halfway through the surgery to monitor the male patient so he could take a “comfort break”.
Instead, Dr Anjum entered another operating theatre at the hospital where he had sex with the woman, namely “Nurse C”.
During the hearing in Manchester, when the General Medical Council (GMC) presented evidence against him, Anjum did not dispute it, saying his behaviour had been “shameful”.
According to reports, Dr Anjum, who was gone for about eight minutes, returned to the theatre and completed his work. Before the GMC opened the case, Dr Anjum said he did not dispute the facts of the case and admitted engaging in sexual activity with Nurse C.
Admitting his actions that had the potential to put the patient at risk, he told the MPTS that he wanted to resume his career in the UK, and promised there would never be a repeat of a “one-off error of judgment”.
“It was quite shameful, to say the least. I only have myself to blame,” the doctor rued, offering apologies to everyone involved.
“I have always set very high standards for myself because the job is my passion. I don’t know how and why it happened, but I wish I could reverse it.”
Dr Anjum further said that the incident occurred after a “stressful time” for his family, when he and his spouse were failing “to connect as a couple” after the premature birth of his daughter in January 2023.
“It took a toll on my personal life, my mental health and wellbeing, and my work at the hospital,” he said.