UK anaesthetist faces tribunal for sex with nurse mid-operation

A Manchester doctor’s fitness to practise is being assessed after he was found in a “compromising position” mid-operation.

Dr Suhail Anjum was caught having sex with a female nurse in September 2023, shortly after putting a patient under anaesthetic, Metro reports.

The 44-year-old anaesthetist is appearing before the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) over the incident, which occurred at Tameside Hospital in Greater Manchester.

He allegedly asked a colleague to keep an eye on the unconscious patient while he took a “comfort break”.

But he allegedly received a different kind of “comfort” from a nurse in a separate operating theatre while the procedure continued.

One of the pair’s colleagues discovered them in what was characterised as “a compromising position”.

Andrew Molloy, representing the General Medical Council, illustrated the scene for the tribunal.

“She described seeing Nurse C with her trousers around her knee area with her underwear on display, and Dr Anjum was in the process of tying up the cord of his trousers.”

He said Anjum was absent for about eight minutes, and the procedure went on “without further incident”.

Anjum, who has since moved back to his native Pakistan but hopes to practise in the UK again, said the incident was a “one-off error of judgment”.

He attributed his misconduct to issues in his personal life after the birth of his daughter earlier that year.

“My wife had a very traumatic delivery, it was quite a stressful experience. We failed to connect as a couple during that time.”

He acknowledged the incident had cost him the respect of his colleagues and the trust of his patient - something that “breaks me to pieces every day when I think about it”.

“I let down everybody, not just my patient and myself, but the trust and how it would look.”

The hearing is expected to continue today, with submissions about whether the sexual indiscretion should affect the doctor’s fitness to practise.