A 44-year-old Indian-origin man died of a suspected cardiac arrest in Canada after allegedly waiting for hours without treatment in a hospital emergency department, triggering renewed scrutiny of the country’s healthcare response times.
Prashant Sreekumar collapsed and died on December 22 after being taken to Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton with complaints of intense chest pain. According to his family, Sreekumar, a father of three, remained in the emergency room waiting area for over eight hours despite repeatedly expressing the severity of his condition.
As per a report by Global News, Sreekumar was driven to the hospital by a client from his workplace after he complained of severe chest discomfort. He was checked in at triage and asked to wait. His father, Kumar Sreekumar, soon arrived at the hospital and said his son was in visible agony. “He told me, ‘Papa, I cannot bear the pain,’” he recalled.
The family stated that Prashant described his pain as “15 out of 10” to hospital staff. An electrocardiogram (ECG) was conducted, but they were reportedly told that nothing alarming was detected. He was then sent back to the waiting area. As the hours passed, hospital staff allegedly offered him only Tylenol, even as his blood pressure continued to rise sharply.
“It kept going up and up. To me, it was through the roof,” his father said. After more than eight hours, Prashant was finally taken into the treatment area. Moments later, he collapsed. “After sitting maybe 10 seconds, he stood up, held his chest, and just crashed,” Kumar Sreekumar recounted.
Medical staff attempted to revive him, but he could not be saved. Prashant Sreekumar died of an apparent cardiac arrest, leaving behind his wife and three children aged three, 10, and 14.
Grey Nuns Community Hospital is operated by Covenant Health. In a statement to Global News, the organisation said it could not comment on individual patient care but confirmed that the incident is under review by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. “We offer our sympathy to the patient’s family and friends. There is nothing more important than the safety and care of our patients and staff,” the statement said.
