EDMONTON, Canada (Diya TV) — A Canadian family is demanding answers after a 44-year-old man of Indian origin died of cardiac arrest following an eight-hour wait in an Edmonton emergency room, despite repeated complaints of severe chest pain and dangerously high blood pressure.
Prashant Sreekumar died Monday at Grey Nuns Community Hospital after arriving at the emergency department with acute chest pain. His wife, Niharika Sreekumar, said hospital staff performed an electrocardiogram and blood tests early in his visit. Both tests showed no immediate abnormalities. Staff then told him to wait.
He remained in the emergency room for nearly eight hours. During that time, Sreekumar said her husband’s condition worsened. He vomited in the waiting area. His blood pressure rose to 210. He described his pain as “15 out of 10.” Despite repeated pleas, staff told the couple that others had more urgent needs.
“He was clearly suffering,” Sreekumar said. “They kept telling us his pain was not acute.”
Sreekumar said the day began normally. Her husband woke up early and made chai before leaving for work. Three hours later, he called her in distress. He said he had extreme chest pain and could not continue working. A client drove him to the hospital. After initial tests, the staff gave him Tylenol and asked him to keep waiting. Sreekumar said her husband repeatedly went to the front desk to explain his pain. She said the staff dismissed his concerns.
After hours of waiting, hospital staff finally called Prashant into a treatment room. Sreekumar and her father-in-law followed, relieved that care had begun. Moments later, he stood up from the bed and said in Hindi, “Niharika, I’m dizzy.” He collapsed to the floor. His wife and father held him as staff rushed in. He died shortly after.
Sreekumar said she wants justice for her husband. She questions whether negligence or racial bias played a role in his treatment.
“We are Canadian citizens,” she said. “We worked hard and paid taxes. When my husband needed help, the system failed him.”
The death has left her facing emotional and financial hardship. The couple has three children. Their youngest child requires round-the-clock care. Because of that need, Prashant served as the family’s sole income earner, even though both spouses are trained accountants.
“I don’t know how I will survive,” she said. “He was my husband and my only close friend here.”
Covenant Health, which operates Grey Nuns Community Hospital, confirmed the death but declined to discuss details. Officials said the case is under review by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
“There is nothing more important than the safety and care of our patients,” the organization said in a statement.
Acute Care Alberta also expressed sympathy and said it will take part in a full review of the circumstances. Officials said they will examine any contributing factors and ensure recommendations lead to change. Sreekumar said she has not received direct communication from the hospital since her husband’s death.
Opposition lawmakers have called for answers. Alberta NDP critic Sarah Hoffman and Edmonton-Meadows MLA Jasvir Deol issued a joint statement calling the death unacceptable.
“This family needs justice,” the statement said. The lawmakers linked the incident to emergency room overcrowding across Alberta. They blamed years of health-care cuts and staffing shortages.
According to Alberta Health Services, the average emergency room wait time at Grey Nuns Hospital was about three hours and 36 minutes on Dec. 26. Prashant waited more than twice that long.
Sreekumar said she hopes her husband’s death leads to reform in emergency care. She believes no family should experience such loss due to delayed treatment.
“I was enjoying my life,” she said. “Now I wake up every day just hoping to get through it.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to support the Sreekumar family as investigations continue.
