Pakistan doctor leaves surgery midway, found in ‘compromising’ position with nurse, blames ‘wife trauma’

A senior Pakistani-origin doctor admitted to leaving a patient mid-surgery to engage in sexual activity with a nurse in a nearby operating theatre, a UK medical tribunal has heard. During the recent hearing, Dr Suhail Anjum, 44, accepted that he had left a patient and engaged in sexual activity with a nurse in September 2023 at Tameside General Hospital, Greater Manchester.

Caught in a ‘Compromising Position’

According to reports in The Daily Mail, Dr Anjum, a consultant anaesthetist, was caught “in a compromising position” with a nurse, identified as Nurse C. A colleague walked in to find the doctor tying the cord of his trousers, while the nurse was seen with her trousers down and underwear exposed.

The tribunal was told that Anjum stepped away from his duties during a keyhole surgery to remove a gall bladder because he “knew that Nurse C was likely to be nearby”.

Tribunal Hears How Incident Unfolded

Andrew Molloy, representing the General Medical Council (GMC), said Anjum had been serving as the anaesthetist for five surgeries on the day. During the third operation, he requested a comfort break and asked an anaesthetic nurse to monitor the patient.

While another scrub nurse, referred to as Nurse NT, went to Theatre Eight to collect equipment, she discovered Anjum and Nurse C together. Molloy told the hearing: “Nurse NT encountered Dr Anjum and Nurse C in a compromising position.”

Shocked, the nurse returned to Theatre Five and later reported the matter to her line manager. Anjum later admitted his actions to investigators.

‘Wife Had Suffered Trauma’

At the tribunal, Dr Anjum explained that personal struggles had influenced his behaviour. He said that he was “passionate” about his work, but the incident happened at a time when he and his wife “were not connecting as a couple,” The Daily Mail reported.

He said that his wife had suffered trauma after the premature birth of their youngest daughter, leaving him with extra family responsibilities.

He told the panel: “This was a unique incident. I cannot express how shameful it is to me. I am genuinely sorry and shamed and fully recognise the seriousness of my behaviour. I would like to ensure the panel that it will not happen again, but that does not take away the guilt and embarrassment.”

Who Is Suhail Anjum?

Dr Suhail Anjum graduated from the University of Health Sciences, Lahore, in 2004. He moved to the UK in 2011, working in Bristol, Milton Keynes, and Dartford, before joining the Tameside and Glossop Integrated Trust in 2015.

He left the Trust in October 2024 and later worked in Liverpool before returning to Pakistan in January. Despite the scandal, Anjum has expressed a desire to resume his medical career in the UK.