A top UK doctor has admitted abandoning a patient on the operating table to have sex with a nurse in a nearby theatre.
Dr Suhail Anjum, a consultant anaesthetist at Tameside and Glossop NHS Trust, was supposed to be monitoring a patient during gallbladder surgery when he suddenly asked for a “short break.” Instead of stepping out for a breather, he sneaked into the next room — where he was caught in the act with a nurse.
A stunned colleague walked in to find the nurse with her trousers and underwear around her knees, while Dr Anjum was hurriedly tying up his trousers. He rushed back after about eight minutes and completed the operation. The patient was unharmed, but the tribunal heard they had been left dangerously vulnerable while under anaesthetic.
Dr Anjum admitted the shocking misconduct and told the panel it was a “one-off error of judgment,” blaming personal turmoil in his private life, including a premature baby, his wife’s traumatic delivery, lack of family support, and a strained marriage.
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal will now decide if he should be struck off.
The scandal has sparked outrage, with many branding it a “disgraceful betrayal of trust.” For Dr Anjum, it could mean the end of his career. For the public, it is a chilling reminder that even trusted medics can abandon their duty — leaving lives at risk.
