Billionaire Elon Musk slammed the Canadian healthcare system on Friday after an Indian-origin man died while waiting for treatment. 44-year-old Prashant Sreekumar was rushed to Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton with severe chest pain on December 22. He remained at the hospital for more than eight hours without medical attention while his condition worsened.
Family members claim the hospital staff had repeatedly dismissed their concerns and behaved insensitively, even after his death. The incident has triggered widespread social media outrage and heated debate about hospital response and patient care. The Ministry of External Affairs has also flagged the case — asking the Canadian government to “take responsibility” for the situation.
Elon Musk weighs in on Indian-origin man’s death at Canadian hospital
Musk reacted after a video related to the case went viral on social media. The clip shows Sreekumar’s wife describing what she claims was negligence by hospital staff. Musk criticised government-run healthcare systems. “When the government does medical care, it is about as good as the DMV,” Musk wrote, comparing public healthcare to the US motor vehicle department, which is often criticised for inefficiency.
When the government does medical care, it is about as good as the DMV https://t.co/kRdlL3idyF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 26, 2025
Many in the comment section agreed with Musk, with some also slamming the US healthcare system for being slow and unnecessarily costly. “California hospitals are exactly the same, an 8 hour wait and nearly nobody in the waiting area speaks English . In Nevada it’s a one hour wait and they have emergency rooms on every corner like 7- eleven,” one person commented. “Aaand we’re on our way to the same horrible care IF the Dems have their way – Obamacare is atrocious – & IF the Republicans do NOT Stand Tall & refuse to keep funding it & we lose midterms or 2028 Dems can FINISH wrecking it,” another wrote.
What was the incident?
In the video, Sreekumar’s wife said her husband was brought to Grey Nuns Community Hospital around 12.15 pm. She said he was asked to sit in the triage area from about 12.20 pm and remained there until nearly 8.50 pm. During this time, she said he kept complaining of constant chest pain. His blood pressure, she claimed, kept rising and reached as high as 210. Despite this, she said he was only given Tylenol and no urgent care.
She also alleged that hospital staff told her chest pain was not considered an emergency and that they did not suspect a cardiac arrest. The woman said that when her husband was finally taken inside, he was asked to sit down. Moments later, he stood up briefly and collapsed.
She claimed nurses were heard saying they could not feel his pulse. She accused hospital staff of failing to act in time and blamed the delay for her husband’s death. She also alleged that hospital security behaved insensitively after the incident, telling her she was being rude instead of addressing her concerns.
According to Global News, Prashant Sreekumar was taken to the hospital by a client after experiencing sharp chest pain while at work. He was asked to wait in the emergency room. The family said an ECG was performed, but they were told nothing serious was found and that he would need to continue waiting.
Sreekumar’s father, Kumar Sreekumar, told Global News that his son repeatedly said he was in unbearable pain. He said Prashant told him and hospital staff, “Papa, I cannot bear the pain.” The family said they are devastated and struggling to understand how someone in such distress didn’t receive emergency treatment.
Prashant Sreekumar is survived by his wife and three children, aged three, 10 and 14. Grey Nuns Community Hospital is operated by Covenant Health. The organisation told Global News that it could not comment on the specifics of the case due to privacy rules. However, it confirmed that the incident has been referred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
