A 44-year-old Indian-origin man passed away in a hospital in Canada‘s Edmonton after he was made to wait for over eight hours in the hospital’s emergency room, local media reported.
According to a report by Global News, the deceased patient, identified as Prashant Sreekumar, was taken to the Grey Nuns Community Hospital by a client after complaining about a sharp pain in his chest while he was at work.
Sreekumar was asked to wait in the emergency room but hours later, he reportedly collapsed and died in the treatment area after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Sreekumar’s blood pressure shot up
A video that has surfaced online purportedly showed Sreekumar’s wife narrating the ordeal, claiming that his blood pressure shot up to 210 even as he sat in the waiting room and that he was only offered Tylenol despite complaining of “unbearable” pain.
The family said an ECG was performed on Sreekumar, but they were allegedly told that nothing significant was detected and that he should continue waiting.
Nurses reportedly kept checking his blood pressure periodically, which the family said “kept going up.”
44 year-old man passes away in the hospital after waiting over 8 hours in the emergency room in Canadian hospital 😳💔 pic.twitter.com/bHztPMbDkH
— RTN (@RTNToronto) December 25, 2025
However, the authenticity of the video could not be confirmed independently by Financial Express.
‘I cannot bear the pain’
Sreekumar’s father, Kumar Sreekumar, said that his son repeatedly told him and hospital staff that he was in excruciating pain. “He told me, ‘Papa, I cannot bear the pain’,” Kumar said, according to Global News.
Prashant is survived by his wife and 3 children aged three, 10 and 14. Family friend Varinder Bhullar said the loss was “huge” and called the incident shocking and unacceptable. “We expect better from the hospital and the health-care system,” he said.
What did the hospital say?
Grey Nuns Community Hospital is operated by Covenant Health. The organisation told Global News that it could not comment on specifics of the case due to privacy reasons, but confirmed that the matter has been referred to 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,” it said in a statement.
