The Guardian reported on a British healthcare provider who left an operation to quickly have sex. The newspaper named the randy provider as Dr. Suhail Anjum, a “consultant anesthetist.”
Dr. Suhail Anjum, 44, and the unnamed nurse were caught in a “compromising position” by a colleague who walked in on the pair at Tameside hospital. The consultant anaesthetist had asked another nursing colleague to monitor the male patient, who was under general anesthetic, so he could go to the bathroom.
Instead, Anjum, a married father of three, went to another operating theatre at the hospital in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, where sexual activity took place with Nurse C on 16 September 2023.
A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) hearing was told another nurse at the hospital described seeing Nurse C “with her trousers around her knee area with her underwear on display” and that Dr. Anjum was “tying up the cord of his trousers”.
Anjum was absent from the operating room for eight minutes and the patient came to no harm.
The matter was reported to management and Anjum was dismissed in February 2024 following an internal investigation. Last week he told an MPTS disciplinary tribunal he wanted to resume his career in the UK and relocate with his family after they had since moved to his native Pakistan where he worked as a doctor.
Anjum promised there would never be a repeat of a “one-off error of judgment”. Giving evidence, he said: “It was quite shameful, to say the least. I only have myself to blame. I let down everybody, not just my patient and myself but the trust and how it would look.
“I let down my colleagues who gave me a lot of respect.”
On Monday, the tribunal determined that Anjum “had put his own interests before those of the patient and his colleagues” and the incident involving Nurse C “had the potential to distract Dr. Anjum…and he may not have been able to give his full attention to the patient’s care”.
The tribunal chair, Rebecca Miller, said his actions, while they did not harm the patient’s safety, were “significant enough to amount to misconduct that was serious”.
However, she was satisfied that Anjum was determined not to repeat his past misconduct and considered the risk of repetition to be “very low”.
No sanction will be imposed on the doctor and the hearing will reconvene in Manchester on Tuesday to decide whether to issue a warning on Dr. Anjum’s registration.
Anjum had admitted engaging in sexual activity with Nurse C and that he knew she was “likely to be nearby” when he left his patient. He also admitted his actions had the potential to put his patient at risk.
So, this doctor evaded disciplinary action on his license to practice in the UK.
As to whether he’ll be allowed back to work in that hospital, I do not know.
In any event, aside from the prurient nature of the apparent offense, I’m going to make a contrarian argument.
If the doctor took a routine break, as is often the case with anesthesiologists during operations, and it was not at a critical juncture, and the patient was covered by another anesthesiologist or CRNA with an equivalent skill set, what difference does it make as to what he did for 8 minutes? As long as he came back refreshed and ready to relieve the substitute. And the substitute was competent. I’m not talking about the doctor leaving to get a drink, become impaired, or stay away for an hour. I’m talking about 8 minutes.
Put aside other issues such as the HR issue of a physician having sex with employee “at the office.” That would play into an ultimate real-world analysis. My larger point is this: anesthesiologists, and even surgeons, take routine breaks to go to the bathroom, eat, call the office, etc.
I appreciate that others will likely come to a different conclusion. But, if the doctor and nurse just shared an 8-minute meal, would this matter have come to light?
What do you think?
My question: “Did Dr. Anjum promise there would never be a ‘two-off’?”
Michael M.Rosenblatt, DPM
Sex with someone not your spouse = probably bad (unless there’s some agreement on this).
Sex at the workplace = bad.
Sex in an operating room = gross and bad
Sex with a colleague at work = bad.
Sex with someone you may have power over = extra bad.
Is no one bothered that the sexual activity in question was completed in less than *8* min? What the hell kind of sex is that?
I do hope this is reported to the equivalent of the US NPDB; if only because explaining that to EVERY future employer is fitting punishment.
Leaving the OR for a short break (8 minutes) is very common in my experience as a retired orthopedic surgeon. Whether it’s for a bathroom break or a “sex” break is immaterial, if the OR procedure has an equivalent anesthesiologist or anesthetist to cover. It certainly should not warrant a medical reprimand, since it has no bearing on pt. care. It is more of a “moral” issue, and does not warrant appropriate medical sanctioning. As for as I know the British Commonwealth does not employ Moral Police as some of the middle eastern countries still do, where such a sex act out of wedlock can lead to a public “shaming” or “flogging”.
Risk of infection (STD aside) in a so called sterile environment. Did he put on fresh gown, mask, gloves, & typical OR protocol?
As I retired anesthesiologist, I find this behavior repugnant.
I will state that if this anesthesiologist exercised such poor judgement and lack of self control as to have sex in the operating room, then we really need to examine his body of prior anesthesia work.
We’d like to find out if there are other prior lapses that we do not know about! Maybe this was not a one of event. Maybe he was busy texting his nurse girlfriend in the OR and was not paying attention to the patient or the alarms. I am aware of such an instance over a decade ago when nurses complained that the anesthesiologist was texting his girlfriend and did not hear patient alarms going off.
Yes, this guy had coverage for the time he left the OR, yes there was no harm to this patient.
But, this is likely part of a pattern of prior behavior on the part of this anesthesiologist.
The issue is not that he took a break. The issue is not that he had coverage. The issue is not just that he had a moral lapse. The issue is that this person doesn’t have enough discipline and self control to keep his recreational activities separate from his work activities. I would bet if one interviewed OR nurses in this anesthesiologist’s operating rooms, he likely was texting the nurse before the event (and not paying attention to the patient), and he was likely texting the nurse after the event (before he was reprimanded).
This was not a solitary incident, more than likely.
This is completely an issue of lack of dedication to patient care, and patient safety, based on likely patterns of behavior..
I’ve heard of different types of incidents over the years, of assignations that took place on hospital grounds. Everyone knew. Nothing was done. BUT, they never occurred during a case in an adjacent operating room. Was this anesthesiologist trying to get caught? Was that part of the thrill of what he could get away with? What does that say for his professional behavior.
Let’s ask this question a different way: Would any of you want this person, giving anesthesia to you or a family member?
What would the public say if this information was published on the front page of the local newspaper?
Would they have wanted this guy as an anesthesiologist?
One final point, if the anesthesiologist and the nurse were just having a meal, would they have been texting (presumptively) about their lust before and after their assignation? Likely not.
This was not just a meal, and this was not in the cafeteria, or the break room, or a closet. This was in an OR, frequently trafficked by multiple personnel.
What does the chief of the department say to this person, or to the chief of surgery, or to the family, or quality assurance?
Thank you for this well written response. I find this type of behavior completely deplorable.
Ah, to be in my 40s again….
Without all the facts, this is just gossip. 90% of gossip is fictional 10% is true and just exaggerated. Crazy gossip and stories happen in the OR all the time. Don’t take the story as Gospel.
Must say I am surprised by the lack of objectivity here. There are 3 issues:
1) Being distracted by outside of the OR activities increases the likelihood of medical error. It doesn’t matter whether those are sexting, stock trading, sporting events or having a fight with your spouse. They all distract from patient care and should be avoided.
2) Leaving the OR to take a break. As long as the patient is left in the care of a competent provider, what was done during those 8 minutes is moot.
3) Using an operating theater for sex is just not acceptable. This is supposed to be a clean environment and utilizing it in this manner risks patient infections.
Physicians must be able to separate their moral/ethical concerns from medical judgement. Patients trust us for our ability to NOT judge. Leave your religion and politics at home.
EIGHT minutes?!?!?!?