LONDON, Sept 15 — A British medical tribunal heard that a doctor abandoned a sedated patient on the operating table to engage in sex with a nurse in another room.

Consultant anaesthetist Dr Suhail Anjum, 44, was discovered in an intimate act with the nurse by a colleague at Tameside Hospital in Greater Manchester, BBC reported.

The incident, which took place in September 2023, emerged during a fitness to practise hearing after Dr Anjum sought to return to work in Britain.

The doctor, who had been based in Pakistan, did not contest the allegations presented by the General Medical Council (GMC).

He admitted his conduct was “shameful” and said he had excused himself for a “comfort break” while asking another nurse to watch over the patient.

Instead, he went to a separate operating theatre in Ashton-under-Lyne, where he had sex with a woman referred to as Nurse C.

Another nurse entered the room unexpectedly, described being “shocked” by the scene, and later reported it to her superior.

Dr Anjum returned about eight minutes later to complete the procedure, and no harm was caused to the patient.

The GMC said the doctor admitted to sexual activity with Nurse C and accepted that his actions placed the patient at potential risk.

He apologised to colleagues, describing the encounter as a one-off lapse in judgment during a difficult period for his family, and pledged it would not be repeated.