A UK tribunal hears how a doctor left surgery midway for a sexual act with a nurse, sparking shock, shame, and debate on ethics.
- Medical dramas like Grey’s Anatomy or House thrive on scandal. Doctors fall in love with nurses, surgeries get interrupted by drama, and personal lives creep into the operating theatre. But what happens when the scandal leaps out of your TV screen and lands squarely in a real UK hospital?
- The Incident That Shook Manchester
- The Timeline of a Scandal
- What the Tribunal Heard
- The Doctor’s Defence
- The Larger Questions
- Global Echoes
- What Can Be Learned
- Witty Wrap-Up
- Final Thoughts
- Related Post Suggestion
Medical dramas like Grey’s Anatomy or House thrive on scandal. Doctors fall in love with nurses, surgeries get interrupted by drama, and personal lives creep into the operating theatre. But what happens when the scandal leaps out of your TV screen and lands squarely in a real UK hospital?
Spoiler: It’s not romantic. It’s chaotic, scandalous, and downright shocking. Patients expect anesthesia, not soap-opera scenes playing out in the next room.
The Incident That Shook Manchester
On September 16, 2023, at Tameside General Hospital in Greater Manchester, a senior Pakistani-origin doctor, Suhail Anjum, was serving as the anaesthetist for five surgeries in Theatre Five.
By mid-morning, the third surgery was underway—a standard keyhole gall bladder removal. But instead of standing by his patient, ensuring safety under anesthesia, Dr. Anjum decided it was the right time to take a “comfort break.”
Except his comfort break didn’t involve coffee or a bathroom. He slipped into a nearby operating theatre and engaged in sexual activity with a nurse, later referred to in tribunal papers as “Nurse C.”
And yes—another nurse accidentally discovered them in a compromising position.
You don’t need Netflix for drama. The NHS sometimes has enough of its own.
The Timeline of a Scandal
Let’s break it down like a case study:
- September 16, 2023 – Dr. Suhail Anjum was rostered for five surgeries that day.
- Third operation – During the middle of the procedure, he left his patient and went to another operating room.
- What he told colleagues – He said he needed a bathroom break, a common enough request during long shifts.
- What actually happened – He met Nurse C, and the two engaged in sexual activity.
- Discovery – Another scrub nurse, referred to as Nurse NT, walked in unexpectedly and found the pair. Shocked, she quickly returned to her own theatre.
- Aftermath – The report reached the General Medical Council (GMC), which opened a tribunal investigation.
What the Tribunal Heard
At the Manchester Medical Practitioners Tribunal, the truth came out.
Dr. Anjum admitted leaving his patient under anesthesia and acknowledged the misconduct. Andrew Molloy, representing the GMC, confirmed that Anjum had responsibilities for five back-to-back surgeries that day. During the third operation, he chose to indulge in personal activity instead of focusing on the patient’s safety.
The tribunal papers revealed that he was discovered “in a compromising position” with Nurse C, who reportedly had her trousers around her knees.
The image is not only embarrassing—it’s terrifying. Because while he was distracted, a patient was still on the table.
The Doctor’s Defence
Here’s where the story takes another dramatic turn.
Suhail Anjum told the tribunal that this was a “unique incident.” He explained he was under severe personal stress at the time. His wife had recently suffered trauma during the premature birth of their daughter, leaving him burdened with extra family responsibilities. He admitted that his marriage was strained and that he and his wife were “not connecting as a couple.”
He further explained that he had taken the Saturday shift to free up time during weekdays to help with his children’s school routine. In his words:
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.
His apology was direct. He begged for another chance, stating he wanted to return to the UK to resume his medical career.
The Larger Questions
The scandal sparked debate far beyond the tribunal room.
- Patient Safety First: Can any excuse justify leaving a sedated patient mid-surgery? The tribunal’s biggest concern was not his personal issues, but the patient’s safety. One small complication could have turned tragic.
- Professional Boundaries: Doctors and nurses, like any professionals, may form relationships. But inside an operating theatre, while a patient is on the table? That’s crossing the biggest red line.
- Human, but Responsible: The defence highlighted that doctors are human beings with stress, trauma, and personal struggles. But does being human excuse abandoning duty in the most critical of moments?
Global Echoes
This is not the first time the medical world has been rocked by scandal. Across the globe, incidents of professional misconduct remind us how fragile patient trust can be.
In the UK, the General Medical Council lays out strict professional standards. The rule is clear: patient safety is paramount. Yet cases like this show how personal lapses can create cracks in an otherwise rigid system.
Around the world, from the United States to Asia, scandals have exposed not only unethical behaviour but also the immense pressures faced by medical professionals. Burnout, personal stress, and lack of mental health support often lurk behind such headlines.
What Can Be Learned
- Zero Tolerance on Patient Safety
Hospitals must enforce uncompromising standards. Leaving a patient mid-surgery is not just misconduct—it’s a breach of the Hippocratic oath. - Better Mental Health Support
Doctors face enormous stress. More counselling, decompression time, and support structures are needed to prevent burnout and impulsive mistakes. - Checks and Balances
Having systems where one doctor’s absence is immediately flagged or cross-checked can prevent negligence. - Personal vs. Professional Boundaries
Hospitals need clearer training and guidelines on workplace relationships, ensuring personal boundaries don’t compromise patient safety.
Witty Wrap-Up
The scandal is both shocking and, in a darkly humorous way, absurd. A patient waiting on the table, an anaesthetist sneaking off, and an operating theatre turning into a gossip column headline—it’s a situation no patient would want to imagine.
As one commentator quipped: “When doctors need a break, it should be coffee—not controversy.”
Final Thoughts
Dr. Suhail Anjum’s case is now etched as one of the strangest scandals in UK medical history. While he admitted his guilt and showed remorse, the tribunal must weigh one critical question: Can patient trust ever be fully restored once it’s broken this badly?
The answer will decide whether his medical career has a future—or whether this scandal remains a permanent black mark.
What do you think?
Should a single “unique incident” end a doctor’s career forever? Or should compassion and second chances apply even to professionals who slip?
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👉 Explore more stories in our related post: “The Biggest Medical Scandals That Shook Hospitals Worldwide.”
