Indian-origin man dies of cardiac arrest after waiting 8 hours at Edmonton hospital in Canada

Edmonton, Canada: A 44-year-old Indian-origin man has died of an apparent cardiac arrest after waiting for more than eight hours in the emergency department of a hospital in Canada, raising concerns about emergency care response times.

Prashant Sreekumar collapsed and died on December 22 at Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton after arriving earlier in the day with severe chest pain. According to his family, he had complained of intense discomfort while at work and was driven to the hospital by a client.

Sreekumar was registered at triage and asked to wait in the emergency room. His father, Kumar Sreekumar, later joined him and said his son repeatedly told staff that his pain was extreme. “He told me, ‘Papa, I cannot bear the pain,’” he said.

An electrocardiogram (ECG) was carried out, but the family were told there was nothing of immediate concern. Sreekumar was then returned to the waiting area, where he remained for several more hours. His father said his blood pressure continued to rise and that he was eventually offered pain relief medication, but no further treatment.

After more than eight hours, Sreekumar was finally called into a treatment area. Moments later, he collapsed.

His father said that after sitting maybe 10 seconds, Prashant stood up, held his chest and just crashed.

Medical staff attempted to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. He is survived by his wife and three children, aged three, 10 and 14.

Grey Nuns Community Hospital is operated by Covenant Health. In a statement, the organisation said it could not comment on individual cases but confirmed that the death is under review by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

“We offer our sympathy to the patient’s family and friends,” the statement said. “There is nothing more important than the safety and care of our patients and staff.”

Grieving family demands accountability

The family said they loved travelling together and described Prashant as a “goofball” who shared a close and playful bond with his children.

“He was for his family, for his kids, he was so nice,” his father Kumar said, adding that anyone who spoke to him claimed that they didn’t know a better person. 

Relatives and friends are now demanding answers, questioning how a man suffering severe chest pain could be overlooked in such a troubling way.

Family friend Varinder Bhullar, who had used Prashant’s accounting services, said the loss had deeply affected the community and left him devastated.

“We expect better from the hospitals and from health-care system,” Bhullar said.

As the family focus on remembering Prashant for the love and positivity he brought into their lives, they say they will forever be haunted by the circumstances of his death — dying in pain in a hospital without ever being seen by a doctor.

“They took my baby for nothing. For nothing,” Kumar said.