"Papa, I'm In Pain": Indian Man Dies After 8-Hour Wait At Canada Hospital

A 44-year-old Indian-origin man has died of suspected cardiac arrest after he reportedly did not receive any treatment for several hours at a hospital in Canada. Prashant Sreekumar was rushed to the Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Canada's Edmonton after he complained about severe chest pains while at work on December 22. 

However, the father of three was kept in the Edmonton hospital's emergency room waiting area for more than eight hours, sparking serious questions about emergency healthcare response times in Canada, according to a report by Global News. 

Speaking to the publication, his family said that after Sreekumar complained about chest pains, a client drove him to the Grey Nuns Hospital in southeast Edmonton, where he was checked in at triage and then took a seat in the waiting room. 

His father, Kumar Sreekumar, soon reached the hospital. "He told me, 'Papa, I cannot bear the pain,'" Kumar Sreekumar told the publication. 

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

According to Sreekumar's father, he told the hospital staff that his pain was a 15 out of 10. After that, hospital staff did an electrocardiogram (ECG) on him to check his heart's function, but told the patient and his family that there was nothing of significance, and they were kept waiting.

As time passed, the staff offered some Tylenol to Sreekumar for his pain, but his blood pressure kept increasing. 

"It went up, up, and up. To me, it was through the roof," his father said, adding that he was finally called into the treatment area after waiting more than eight hours. 

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

Nurses called for help and tried to resuscitate him, but it was too late. Prashant Sreekumar died of an apparent cardiac arrest, leaving behind his wife and three children, ages three, 10 and 14. 

The Grey Nuns Hospital is operated by the Covenant Health healthcare network. In a statement to Global News, the organisation declined to comment on specific patient care details but confirmed the case was under review 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.