Indian-origin man dies after eight-hour wait in Canada hospital emergency room

A 44-year-old Indian-origin man has died of an apparent cardiac arrest after waiting for more than eight hours for treatment in a hospital emergency department, according to a media report.

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Prashant Sreekumar began experiencing severe chest pain while at work on December 22, Global News reported on Wednesday (December 24).

Unbearable pain

A client drove him to the Grey Nuns Hospital in southeast Edmonton, where he was registered at triage and asked to wait in the emergency room. His father, Kumar Sreekumar, arrived shortly afterwards.

“He told me, ‘Papa, I cannot bear the pain,’” Kumar said, adding that his son told both him and hospital staff that the pain was “15 out of 10”. Hospital staff conducted an electrocardiogram (ECG) to assess his heart function but reportedly told the family that there was nothing of concern. Prashant was then asked to continue waiting and was offered Tylenol for pain relief.

Waited for hours

As the hours passed, nurses periodically checked his blood pressure. “It kept going up, up and up. To me, it was through the roof,” Kumar said. More than eight hours later, Prashant was finally called into the treatment area. “After sitting for maybe 10 seconds, he looked at me, stood up, held his chest and collapsed,” he said.

Nurses immediately attempted to resuscitate him, but Prashant died of an apparent cardiac arrest, the report said. He is survived by his wife and three children aged three, 10 and 14.

“He lived for his family and his children. Everyone who knew him said there was no one better than him,” Kumar said. “They took my baby for nothing.”

Medical negligence alleged

A video of Prashant’s wife, Niharika Sreekumar, has since gone viral on social media, in which she recounts the ordeal her husband and family faced during the prolonged wait for medical care.

Standing beside her husband’s body, she blamed the hospital administration for his death. She said Prashant began complaining of acute chest pain at around noon on December 22 and was brought to Grey Nuns Community Hospital by 12.20 pm.

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“He was seated in triage from 12.20 pm until about 8.50 pm, continuously complaining of chest pain,” she said, adding that his blood pressure kept rising, with the last recorded reading at 210.

Niharika said her husband was prescribed only Tylenol during the entire waiting period and was not given further medical attention. “They said chest pain was not considered an acute issue and that they did not suspect a cardiac arrest,” she alleged.

Hospital issues statement

She accused the hospital administration and staff of failing to provide timely medical care. “They killed my husband by not helping him on time. Even the security staff were rude and told me I was being rude instead of addressing what had happened,” she said.

Grey Nuns Hospital is operated by Covenant Health. In a statement to Global News, the organisation said it could not comment on specific patient care but confirmed the case was under review by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

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“We extend our sympathies 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.