A married doctor who abandoned a patient mid-surgery to engage in sexual activity with a nurse has been cleared to return to work after a tribunal deemed him at “very low risk” of repeating such behaviour. Consultant anaesthetist Dr. Suhail Anjum, 44, was caught in a “compromising position” with an unnamed nurse — referred to as Nurse C — at Tameside Hospital in Ashton-under-Lyne.

The tribunal heard that Dr. Anjum excused himself from an operation in September 2023, leaving his male patient under general anaesthetic and in the care of another nurse. He then went into a separate operating room, where a colleague unexpectedly discovered him with Nurse C.

According to testimony, Nurse C was found with her trousers down to her knees while Dr. Anjum was “tying up the cord of his trousers.” The shocked colleague said she “quickly left the room” before Dr. Anjum returned to the theatre about eight minutes later.

Andrew Molloy, representing the General Medical Council (GMC), told the hearing the nurse who stumbled upon the scene had been visibly shaken.

Dr. Anjum, who had been living in Pakistan before applying to return to UK practice, admitted his conduct was “shameful” and accepted full responsibility. He said the incident occurred during a “stressful” period in his marriage following the premature birth of his daughter, adding:

“I let down everybody — not just my patient and myself, but the trust, and how it would look. I let down my colleagues who gave me a lot of respect.”

While no harm came to the patient and the surgery continued without incident, the GMC argued the conduct was serious enough to amount to professional misconduct.

Ultimately, the tribunal accepted Dr. Anjum’s claim that the encounter was a “one-off error of judgment.” Tribunal chairwoman Rebecca Miller noted that although his actions did not compromise patient safety, they were still “serious.” Dr. Anjum who has three children can now resume practising medicine in the UK.