A Pakistani-origin senior doctor, who sparked outrage after abandoning a patient mid-surgery to engage in sexual activity with a nurse, has been allowed to resume his medical practice in the United Kingdom following a tribunal decision. The UK Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) concluded that while his conduct amounted to serious misconduct, there was a “very low risk” of repetition, and thus, his medical career could continue. However, a written warning will remain on his professional registration for two years as a formal mark of censure.
The case involved 44-year-old consultant anaesthetist Suhail Anjum, a father of three, who was caught in September 2023 at Tameside General Hospital in Greater Manchester in a compromising position with a nurse—identified as Nurse C—inside a surgical theatre. According to reports, Anjum left a patient undergoing keyhole gall bladder surgery in another operating theatre, using the pretext of taking a comfort break, before seeking out Nurse C. When another scrub nurse, Nurse NT, returned from fetching equipment, she discovered Anjum and the nurse in an inappropriate situation. Shocked, she immediately reported the matter, which triggered the disciplinary process.
During the tribunal hearing, Anjum openly admitted to leaving the patient unattended to engage in sexual activity. The panel accepted that although no direct harm came to the patient, his actions breached professional trust and responsibility to an alarming degree. The chair of the tribunal, Rebecca Miller, observed that the misconduct was grave enough to warrant strong disciplinary action, even though patient safety had not been directly compromised.
Representing the General Medical Council (GMC), Andrew Molloy emphasized the “deplorable” nature of Anjum’s behaviour, noting that abandoning a patient mid-procedure undermined both public confidence and professional standards in medicine. Nonetheless, the tribunal determined that Anjum’s misconduct was an isolated incident and that his overall fitness to practise medicine was not impaired, thereby permitting him to return to work under formal caution.
Anjum, who first began practising in the UK in 2011, has held posts in Bristol, Milton Keynes, and Dartford before joining the Tameside and Glossop Integrated Trust in 2015. He later worked in Liverpool before relocating with his family to Pakistan in January 2025, where he continued practising medicine. At the hearing, he expressed his desire to return to the UK permanently with his family and resume his career.
Though the tribunal stressed that serious professional boundaries had been violated, it ultimately concluded that the risk of recurrence was low, and his professional record did not show repeated misconduct. Therefore, a two-year written warning was deemed a proportionate response, ensuring the gravity of his actions remains on record while not permanently barring him from medical practice.
