Doctor who left patient during operation to have sex with nurse allowed to practise | Greater Manchester
A doctor who left a patient halfway to an operation to have sex with a nurse is “very low risk” to repeat his bad behavior, judged a medical court.
Dr. Suhail Anjum, 44, and the anonymous nurse were taken in a “compromising position” by a colleague who participated in the pair in Tameside hospital. The consultant anesthesiologist had asked another nursing colleague to monitor the male patient, who was under general anesthesia, so that he could go to the toilet.
Instead, Anjum, a father married to three children, went to another operating theater at Ashton-Under-Lyne hospital, Greater Manchester, where sexual activity took place with nurse C on September 16, 2023.
A hearing of the medical services of the Tribunal Service (MPTS) was informed of another hospital nurse described the nurse C “with her pants around her knee area with her exposed underwear” and that Dr Anjum “attached the cord with his pants”.
Anjum was absent from the operating room for eight minutes and the patient did no harm.
The case was reported to management and Anjum was rejected in February 2024 following an internal investigation. Last week, he declared to a disciplinary court of the MPTS that he wanted to resume his career in the United Kingdom and move with his family after having moved from his native Pakistan where he worked as a doctor.
Anjum promised that there would never be a repetition of a “unique error of judgment”. Giving evidence, he said: “It was quite shameful, to say the least. I myself only have to blame. I dropped everyone, not just my patient and myself but confidence and what it would look like.
“I dropped my colleagues who gave me a lot of respect.”
On Monday, the court determined that Anjum “had put his own interests before those of the patient and his colleagues” and the incident involving nurse C “had the potential to distract Dr. Anjum … and he may not have been able to give all his attention to the patient’s care”.
The president of the court, Rebecca Miller, said that her actions, even if they did not hurt the patient’s safety, were “important enough to equip a serious fault”.
However, she was convinced that Anjum was determined not to repeat her past misconduct and considered the risk of repetition as “very low”.
No sanction will be imposed on the doctor and the hearing will meet Tuesday in Manchester to decide to issue a warning on the registration of Dr Anjum.
Anjum had admitted to a sexual activity with nurse C and that he knew that she was “likely to be nearby” when he left his patient. He also admitted that his actions had the potential to put his patient in danger.
