Coronavirus: Portuguese nurse Luis Pitarma ‘got a bit of a fright’ when called to treat Boris Johnson

The nurse’s father said his son was involved in the ‘most crucial’ 48 hours of the British PM’s week-long hospitalisation

After leaving hospital, Johnson thanked Pitarma and a colleague from New Zealand for saving his life

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Nurse Luis Pitarma (second from right) with his family in London in 2018. Photo: AP

Published: 12:22am, 16 Apr 2020Updated: 12:45am, 16 Apr 2020

The father of a Portuguese nurse who helped care for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson while he was in intensive care with Covid-19 said his son “got a bit of a fright” and initially worried he had done something wrong when he received an urgent call to come to the London hospital where he works.

It turned that Luis Pitarma must have done most things right. The medical team guiding Johnson’s treatment wanted Pitarma to be on the team directly caring for the severely ill prime minister, the nurse’s father said.

After his discharge from St. Thomas’ hospital on Sunday, Johnson specifically thanked Pitarma and a colleague from New Zealand, Jenny McGee, for the skill and devotion he credited with helping to save his life.

Pitarma’s parents first found out their son had the British leader as a patient after Johnson spent three nights in the ICU. Because of hospital rules, the nurse could not call to share the information until after Johnson returned to a regular ward.

“He said, ‘Mum and dad, you’ll never guess who I’ve been treating – the British prime minister!” his father, who also is named Luis, said.

Luis Pitarma described Johnson as “very approachable.”

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