EDMONTON, December 27, 2023 — A 44-year-old man of Indian origin died of suspected cardiac arrest after an eight-hour wait for treatment at a hospital emergency room, raising serious questions about healthcare access and response times. It’s a gut-wrenching scenario—hours of agonizing pain, a desperate plea for help, and ultimately, a life lost while waiting for a doctor.
Long ER Wait Preceded Man’s Death in Edmonton
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A family is demanding answers after a man experiencing severe chest pain died following an extended wait at a Grey Nuns Hospital emergency room.
- Prashant Sreekumar, 44, experienced chest pain on December 22 and was taken to Grey Nuns Hospital.
- He waited over eight hours for treatment, despite reporting pain at a “15 out of 10.”
- Sreekumar died of apparent cardiac arrest while waiting to be seen by a physician.
- Covenant Health, which runs the hospital, stated the case is under review by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
What happens when a system fails someone in their most vulnerable moment? Prashant Sreekumar began experiencing intense chest pains while at work on December 22, according to reports. A colleague drove him to the Grey Nuns Hospital in southeast Edmonton, where he was initially assessed at triage and then directed to the waiting room.
“Papa, I Cannot Bear the Pain”
Prashant’s father, Kumar Sreekumar, arrived at the hospital shortly after. “He told me, ‘Papa, I cannot bear the pain,’” Kumar recounted. The pain, his son described, was a 15 out of 10. Despite the severity, Prashant was given an electrocardiogram (ECG) which the family said showed no significant abnormalities, and he was told to continue waiting.
Hours ticked by. Nurses periodically checked Prashant’s blood pressure, which Kumar observed steadily climbing. “It went up, up, and up. To me, it was through the roof,” he said. After more than eight hours, Prashant was finally called into a treatment area. But the relief was tragically short-lived.
A Sudden Collapse
“After sitting maybe 10 seconds, he looked at me, he got up and put his hand on his chest and just crashed,” Kumar said, describing the moment his son suffered a cardiac arrest. Despite immediate efforts by nurses, Prashant could not be revived.
Prashant is survived by his wife and three children, ages three, 10, and 14. Friends and family remember him as a devoted father and a kind, generous man. “He was for his family, for his kids, he was so nice. Anybody who talked to him said, ‘We don’t know a man better than him,’” Kumar shared.
Family friend Varinder Bhullar, who utilized Prashant’s accounting services, expressed the community’s grief and frustration. “We expect better from the hospital and health-care system,” Bhullar said.
Covenant Health, which operates Grey Nuns Hospital, acknowledged the incident but declined to comment on specific patient care details, citing privacy concerns. In a statement, the organization confirmed the case is being reviewed by 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,” the statement read.
As the family mourns, they are left grappling with the agonizing reality of Prashant’s death—a death that occurred in a hospital, while waiting for the care he desperately needed. “They took my baby for nothing. For nothing,” Kumar said.
Q: What caused Prashant Sreekumar’s death? A: Prashant Sreekumar, 44, died of an apparent cardiac arrest after waiting over eight hours for treatment at Grey Nuns Hospital in Edmonton on December 22, 2023.
