HSE admits ambulance ran out of fuel

An ambulance ran out of fuel while transferring a transplant patient from Cork to Dublin for an urgent lung transplant, a report has confirmed.

The revelation prompted calls last night from the Irish Heart and Lung Transplant Association (IHLTA) for “cast-iron guarantees” from the HSE that a similar incident can never happen again.

Brendan Gilligan, IHLTA chairman, said the association was alarmed when news of the incident first emerged last month.