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A senior doctor who left a patient on an operating table in the middle of surgery to have sex with a nurse in an adjoining theatre has been cleared to resume his medical career.
Consultant anaesthetist Suhail Anjum, 44, was discovered 'in a compromising position' with another nurse at Tameside General Hospital in 2023.
The father-of-three was seen tying up the cord of his trousers, while his colleague had her underwear on display when the pair were surprised by another nurse.
A disciplinary panel has now found that Dr Anjum's 'deplorable' actions amounted to serious misconduct, but concluded that as there was a 'very low risk' of them being repeated.
Today it ruled that a written warning should remain on the doctor's registration for two years, saying his fitness to practise medicine was not impaired.
Married Dr Anjum - who said he felt 'shame and guilt at this horribly embarrassing incident' - is currently back working in his native Pakistan.
But he has expressed hopes of returning to the UK to work in the NHS again.
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing in Manchester was told that Dr Anjum left the patient, who was having keyhole surgery to remove a gall bladder, because he knew that his colleague - referred to as Nurse C - 'was likely to be nearby'.
Consultant anaesthetist Suhail Anjum, 44, pictured arriving at a medical tribunal in Manchester where he admitted being discovered 'in a compromising position' with another nurse during surgery
Tameside General Hospital in Ashton-under-Lyne where Dr Suhail Anjum was working in 2023
He told colleagues he needed a 'comfort break', the panel was told.
But a second nurse who went to prepare medical equipment in a different operating theatre was 'shocked' to come across the pair engaging in 'sexual activity'.
Dr Anjum admitted all the allegations, saying the incident occurred during a period when he and his wife 'were not connecting as a couple'.
'I have let down everybody,' he said.
'It was the lowest point of my career.
'I am genuinely sorry and shamed and fully recognise the seriousness of my behaviour.
'It was a one-off error and I will never repeat this behaviour.
'I would like to ensure the panel that it will not happen again but that does not take away the guilt and embarrassment.
'I have only myself to blame.'
Today panel chair Rebecca Miller said Dr Anjum had 'engaged in sexual activity within a public workplace setting, whilst on duty, in the middle of an operation', thereby breaching good medical practice.
He had 'left a vulnerable patient unattended in the middle of an operation and placed his own interests before those of his patient and colleagues', as well as harming the reputation of the medical profession.
But the panel accepted it had been 'a momentary lapse of judgement rather than a sustained pattern of behaviour'.
The patient was unharmed, while Dr Anjum had been 'honest' and 'shown genuine remorse'.
Mrs Miller said a public warning was necessary 'to ensure that public confidence is maintained in the profession and the regulatory system', as well as acting 'as a deterrent'.
Dr Anjum qualified in Lahore in 2004 and came to work in the UK in 2011 with positions in Bristol, Milton Keynes and Dartford before moving to the Tameside and Glossop Integrated Trust in 2015.
He left the trust in 2024 and worked in Liverpool before returning to Pakistan.
In a statement, the trust which runs Tameside General Hospital said: 'An internal investigation following the incident found that Dr Anjum's actions fell below our expected standards of behaviour.
'Mr Anjum is no longer employed by Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust.'
Consultant anaesthetist Suhail Anjum, 44, was discovered 'in a compromising position' with another nurse at Tameside General Hospital in 2023.
The father-of-three was seen tying up the cord of his trousers, while his colleague had her underwear on display when the pair were surprised by another nurse.
A disciplinary panel has now found that Dr Anjum's 'deplorable' actions amounted to serious misconduct, but concluded that as there was a 'very low risk' of them being repeated.
Today it ruled that a written warning should remain on the doctor's registration for two years, saying his fitness to practise medicine was not impaired.
Married Dr Anjum - who said he felt 'shame and guilt at this horribly embarrassing incident' - is currently back working in his native Pakistan.
But he has expressed hopes of returning to the UK to work in the NHS again.
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing in Manchester was told that Dr Anjum left the patient, who was having keyhole surgery to remove a gall bladder, because he knew that his colleague - referred to as Nurse C - 'was likely to be nearby'.
Consultant anaesthetist Suhail Anjum, 44, pictured arriving at a medical tribunal in Manchester where he admitted being discovered 'in a compromising position' with another nurse during surgery
Tameside General Hospital in Ashton-under-Lyne where Dr Suhail Anjum was working in 2023
He told colleagues he needed a 'comfort break', the panel was told.
But a second nurse who went to prepare medical equipment in a different operating theatre was 'shocked' to come across the pair engaging in 'sexual activity'.
Dr Anjum admitted all the allegations, saying the incident occurred during a period when he and his wife 'were not connecting as a couple'.
'I have let down everybody,' he said.
'It was the lowest point of my career.
'I am genuinely sorry and shamed and fully recognise the seriousness of my behaviour.
'It was a one-off error and I will never repeat this behaviour.
'I would like to ensure the panel that it will not happen again but that does not take away the guilt and embarrassment.
'I have only myself to blame.'
Today panel chair Rebecca Miller said Dr Anjum had 'engaged in sexual activity within a public workplace setting, whilst on duty, in the middle of an operation', thereby breaching good medical practice.
He had 'left a vulnerable patient unattended in the middle of an operation and placed his own interests before those of his patient and colleagues', as well as harming the reputation of the medical profession.
But the panel accepted it had been 'a momentary lapse of judgement rather than a sustained pattern of behaviour'.
The patient was unharmed, while Dr Anjum had been 'honest' and 'shown genuine remorse'.
Mrs Miller said a public warning was necessary 'to ensure that public confidence is maintained in the profession and the regulatory system', as well as acting 'as a deterrent'.
Dr Anjum qualified in Lahore in 2004 and came to work in the UK in 2011 with positions in Bristol, Milton Keynes and Dartford before moving to the Tameside and Glossop Integrated Trust in 2015.
He left the trust in 2024 and worked in Liverpool before returning to Pakistan.
In a statement, the trust which runs Tameside General Hospital said: 'An internal investigation following the incident found that Dr Anjum's actions fell below our expected standards of behaviour.
'Mr Anjum is no longer employed by Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust.'
