Edmonton – An Edmonton family is mourning the sudden loss of a husband, father, and community member after a 44-year-old man died while waiting for care in a hospital emergency department—raising renewed questions about ER wait times and patient safety.
On Monday, Dec. 22, Prashant Sreekumar began experiencing intense chest pain while at work. A client drove him to Grey Nuns Hospital, where he was triaged and asked to wait. His father, Kumar Sreekumar, arrived shortly afterward and said his son repeatedly told staff the pain was unbearable—“15 out of 10,” he recalled.
Hospital staff conducted an electrocardiogram (ECG), but according to the family, Prashant was told the results showed nothing urgent. Over the next several hours, nurses periodically checked his blood pressure, which Kumar said continued to rise. More than eight hours later, Prashant was finally called into a treatment area.
“After sitting maybe 10 seconds, he stood up, clutched his chest, and collapsed,” Kumar said. Despite emergency efforts, Prashant died of an apparent cardiac arrest.
Prashant leaves behind his wife and three children, ages three, 10, and 14. Friends describe him as a devoted, playful father who loved traveling with his family and supporting others through his accounting work. “We don’t know a better person than him,” Kumar said.
Family friend Varinder Bhullar called the death “a huge loss for the community,” adding, “We expect better from the hospital and health-care system.”
The hospital is operated by Covenant Health, which declined to comment on specifics due to privacy concerns. In a statement provided to Global News, the organization confirmed the case is under review by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and extended condolences to the family.
Health experts note that chest pain is among the most serious ER presentations, often requiring rapid reassessment if symptoms persist or worsen. As investigations continue, Prashant’s family says they are left with grief—and a haunting question of how a man seeking help could die in pain without ever seeing a doctor.
