Ambulance runs out of fuel while moving transplant patient
An investigation is underway after an ambulance carrying a patient from Cork to Dublin for a lung transplant, ran out of fuel.
According to reports in today's Irish Examiner, the patient had to be transported to hospital by Gardai after the vehicle ground to a halt at Newlands Cross on the outskirts of Dublin.
The National Ambulance Service has launched an investigation into the incident which happened on Thursday, when a patient was being transferred from a hospital in Cork to a Dublin hospital, to undergo a lung transplant.
However, the ambulance is reported to have run out of diesel at Newlands Cross and called ambulance control for backup.
Gardaí were first at the scene and transported the patient to hospital.
It has led to calls for a full investigation and an audit of the country's ambulance service, with ambulances now having to cover greater areas.
Fianna Fáil's Billy Kelleher said its incredible that a seriously ill patient, who was in a race against the clock for a serious operation, had to experience such an ordeal.
