‘I can’t bear the pain’: Indian-origin father of three dies after 8-hour hospital wait in Canada hospital

Prashant Sreekumar, a father of three, collapsed and died at the Grey Nuns Hospital on December 22 after repeatedly complaining of excruciating chest pain. According to his family, he had described the pain as “15 out of 10” and said he could no longer bear it.

Prashant first experienced chest pain while at his office, after which a client drove him to the hospital in southeast Edmonton. He remained in the waiting area for nearly eight hours despite undergoing an electrocardiogram (ECG), which reportedly showed no immediate concerns.

Speaking to Global News, his father Kumar Sreekumar recalled a distressing phone call from his son.

“He told me, ‘Papa, I cannot bear the pain,’” Kumar said.

The family claims that hospital staff advised Prashant to keep waiting and offered him Tylenol for pain relief. Kumar further alleged that his son’s blood pressure continued to rise every time it was checked by nurses.

“It went up, up, and up. To me, it was through the roof,” he said.

After several hours, Prashant was finally taken into the treatment area. According to his father, moments later, tragedy struck.

“After sitting maybe 10 seconds, he looked at me, he got up, put his hand on his chest and just crashed,” Kumar said.

Despite nurses calling for emergency assistance, Prashant reportedly died from an apparent cardiac arrest.

Family friend Varinder Bhullar told Global News that the family had expected far better care from the hospital and the Canadian healthcare system.

In response, Grey Nuns Hospital issued a statement expressing condolences.

“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.