Boris Johnson’s NHS nurses Jenny and Luis say he was treated like any other coronavirus patient

The two nurses, from New Zealand and Portugal, were singled out by the British prime minister after he was discharged from hospital

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also contacted the nurses

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New Zealand nurse Jenny McGee speaks about her efforts to help save coronavirus patient British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. She was one of two nurses singled out by Johnson. Photo: AP

Published: 12:00am, 24 Apr 2020Updated: 1:23am, 24 Apr 2020

Two nurses who were singled out for praise by Boris Johnson for their care while he was in hospital with the coronavirus said the British prime minister was treated like any other patient.

New Zealand nurse Jenny McGee said she was unfazed by the task of caring for Johnson, who “absolutely needed to be there”, thanks to her years dealing with stressful situations in intensive care wards, while Luis Pitarma, from Portugal, said the responsibility “was quite overwhelming”.

“There was a lot of media interest about him being in hospital and, to be honest, that was the toughest,” McGee told TVNZ in an interview that aired on Thursday, her first public remarks since the episode.

“As a unit, he was just another patient we were trying to do our best for, so it was business as usual. It was just another day at the office,” added McGee, who has worked for the National Health Service since 2010, including five as a leader in intensive care wards.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanks the NHS in a video message. Photo: EPA-EFE

In a statement issued by London’s St Thomas’ hospital, where 55-year-old Johnson was taken on April 5 after his Covid-19 symptoms worsened, Pitarma said despite being overwhelmed, his matron told him to be himself.