EDMONTON, Canada, Dec 26 — A 44-year-old Indian-origin man died of an apparent cardiac arrest after waiting more than eight hours for treatment in a hospital emergency room in southeast Edmonton, according to a media report.
Prashant Sreekumar began experiencing severe chest pain while at work on Dec. 22 and was driven by a client to Grey Nuns Hospital, Global News reported Wednesday. He was checked in at triage and asked to wait in the emergency room seating area.
His father, Kumar Sreekumar, arrived shortly afterward and said his son repeatedly told staff that the pain was unbearable.
“He told me, ‘Papa, I cannot bear the pain,’” Kumar said.
According to the family, Prashant described his pain as “15 out of 10.” Hospital staff conducted an electrocardiogram to assess his heart function, but the family said he was told the results showed nothing significant and that he should continue waiting. He was also offered Tylenol for pain relief.
As the hours passed, nurses periodically checked his blood pressure, Kumar said.
“It went up, up, and up. To me, it was through the roof,” he said.
More than eight hours later, Prashant was finally called into the treatment area. Kumar said his son had been seated for only seconds when he suddenly collapsed.
“After sitting maybe 10 seconds, he looked at me, he got up and put his hand on his chest and just crashed,” Kumar said.
Despite nurses calling for assistance, Prashant died of an apparent cardiac arrest, the report said.
He is survived by his wife and three children, ages 3, 10 and 14. Family members described him as devoted to his children and well-loved in the community.
“They took my baby for nothing,” Kumar said. “For nothing.”
Grey Nuns Hospital, operated by Covenant Health, said the case is under review by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and declined to comment on specific aspects of patient care due to privacy concerns.
