The wife of a 44-year-old Indian-origin man who died after waiting over eight hours for treatment at a Canadian hospital has demanded accountability from the facility, even as questions are being raised about delays, staffing pressures and gaps in healthcare infrastructure.
Prashant Sreekumar, an accountant based in Edmonton, died on December 22 after what was suspected to be a cardiac arrest at the Grey Nuns Hospital in Alberta.
His death has since drawn attention within the Indian community in Canada, with leaders pointing to long waiting times and a shortage of hospital beds.
According to local media reports, Prashant was taken to the hospital after experiencing severe chest pain at work. He was checked in at triage and asked to wait in the emergency room.
Hospital staff conducted an electrocardiogram (ECG) and offered him Tylenol for pain. Nurses continued to monitor his blood pressure, but he remained in the waiting area for more than eight hours.
When he was finally taken into the treatment area, he died within seconds. “I want justice for Prashant,” his wife Niharika told Postmedia late on Friday.
“She wants to see hospital staff held accountable for the way her husband was treated in the emergency department, and questions whether negligence or even racism played a role,” the Calgary Sun, a Postmedia outlet, reported.
“We are all Canadian citizens. We have worked and paid so much into the tax bucket in this country and the one time Prashant needed medical help, he was not given it,” Niharika said.
Prashant’s death has left Niharika struggling both emotionally and financially. The couple has three children aged three, 10 and 14.
While both Prashant and Niharika are accountants, Prashant had become the sole breadwinner because their youngest child requires round-the-clock care.
Three days after her husband’s death, Niharika told Postmedia, “I was enjoying my life, now I’m going to just live every day hoping that it will pass.”
She added, “I loved him so dearly. He was not only my husband, he was my only friend in this country. I don’t have as many friends. He had so many friends. What am I gonna do now?”
The incident has also sparked wider concern about the state of Canada’s healthcare system. Varinder Bhullar, a family friend and Indian community leader who had used Prashant’s accounting services, said the system has been declining over the years.
“It's getting worse,” Bhullar said, comparing the current situation with his experience when he arrived in Canada 30 years ago.
Bhullar noted that patients reporting chest pain are usually attended to quickly.
“In this case, they did do an ECG when he walked into the ward with chest pain. There was no issue in the ECG. Then they did some blood work, in which too, they did not detect anything,” he told PTI Videos.
He said this may have led to a “false indication” for hospital staff. “However, his blood pressure kept on going up. And that part, I think, was ignored, that warning was ignored by the health care professionals,” Bhullar said.
“They did notice that his blood pressure was going up and that is where I think the mistake happened. But at the same time, there has been no increase in beds. And that is also a root cause of it,” he added, pointing to inadequate hospital infrastructure.
Bhullar stressed that this was not an isolated case and said many community members approach him with similar complaints. He, however, rejected suggestions that race played a role.
“No, completely no. From healthcare professionals, I have never experienced any racism. In fact, on my social media page, there was a comment by a white person, who said he was sitting on the next chair when Prashant Shreekumar was waiting. He was waiting for nine hours with chest pain as well. I would not say this is related to racism. But I would say this is negligence either by the healthcare professional or it's a system failure where the waits are too long,” Bhullar said.
In a statement to Postmedia, Karen MacMillan, interim chief operating officer of acute and primary care at Covenant Health, said the case is with the office of the chief medical examiner.
“We are deeply saddened regarding the death of a 44-year-old male patient at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton on December 22, 2025. 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 said, adding that the hospital could not comment on specifics at this stage.
In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs said the matter rests with Canadian authorities.
Responding to a question, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “The person is of Indian origin but he happens to be, I understand, a Canadian national. So the Canadian government should take responsibility in the matter.”