As respected hospital consultants at the top of their profession you might expect them to set a good example to other staff.
Instead surgeon Jarrod Homer, 45, and anaesthetist Kamran Abbas, 43, went ‘toe-to-toe’ during a furious argument in a hospital corridor.
The war of words escalated into an unseemly scuffle with both consultants allegedly pushing and shoving each other around.
Row: Witnesses said Jarrod Homer (left) and Kamran Abbas (right) were involved in a furious altercation which ended in one losing a tooth
Desperate to avoid a full-scale punch-up, a nurse tried to split them up but accidentally knocked out one doctor’s teeth. Last night hospital bosses were carrying out an inquiry into the incident and both doctors have been told not to come into the hospital while it is ongoing.
It is understood there has been no criminal complaint and police were not called. But the incident is a major embarrassment for both consultants who are known for pioneering work in their fields.
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Dr Abbas specialises in anaesthetising obese people and lectures on the topic. Mr Homer is an expert in head, neck, cancer and thyroid surgery.
The scuffle began as a minor row when Mr Homer complained about the length of time it was taking for patients to be brought to the operating theatre.It is understood the delays in administering anaesthetic were having a knock-on effect, with operations repeatedly being pushed back.
But the calm exchange of opinion outside the operating theatre in Manchester Royal Infirmary’s Ear, Nose and Throat department escalated into a furious row.
Probe: Bosses at Manchester Royal Infirmary (pictured) admit they are carrying out an investigation into the incident
A senior hospital source said both consultants were ‘shouting at the top of their voices, bellowing at each other and pushing and shoving’.
He added: ‘The surgeon was accusing the anaesthetist of failing to bring patients down quickly enough for their operations and very quickly it became an argument over professional reputation.
‘There was such a ding-dong going on, with the doctors going toe-to-toe and holding on to each other, though no punches were thrown. The nurse stepped in between the warring pair to stop it but as they were pushed apart one of the doctors was struck in the mouth.
‘He suffered quite a bad knock and was apparently quite dazed for a bit and we heard later he had lost one of his teeth as a result.’ It is not known which of the adversaries lost a tooth.
A senior doctor, who did not wish to be named, said the scandal had become the ‘water cooler’ topic of gossip for hospital staff.
He added: ‘It’s absolutely astonishing that the behaviour of two eminent consultants should descend to that of a bar-room row. ‘It’s probably best they keep their heads down for a few weeks.’