Post by : Meena Ariff

A 44-year-old Indian-origin man has died of a suspected cardiac arrest after allegedly waiting for several hours without timely medical care at a hospital in Edmonton, Canada, raising serious questions about emergency healthcare delays.

Prashant Sreekumar, a father of three, was taken to a hospital on December 22 after experiencing intense chest pain while at work. A client drove him to the emergency department, where he was registered at triage and directed to wait.

According to his family, Prashant was in extreme pain and repeatedly told hospital staff that he could not tolerate the discomfort. His father, Kumar Sreekumar, who arrived shortly after, said his son described the pain as unbearable.

Medical staff conducted an electrocardiogram (ECG) to assess his heart condition. The family was informed that the test did not show anything alarming, and Prashant was asked to remain in the waiting area.

As time passed, his condition worsened. His blood pressure reportedly continued to rise, and he was given Tylenol for pain relief. Despite this, no urgent treatment followed, and he remained in the emergency room for more than eight hours.

After several hours, Prashant was finally called into the treatment area. Moments after being seated, he stood up, clutched his chest, and collapsed.

Hospital staff rushed to assist and attempted to resuscitate him, but he could not be saved. He was pronounced dead due to an apparent cardiac arrest.

Prashant Sreekumar is survived by his wife and three children, aged three, 10, and 14.

The healthcare organisation operating the hospital expressed condolences to the family and confirmed that the incident is under review by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Officials stated that patient safety remains a top priority but declined to comment on specific details while the review is ongoing.

The incident has sparked renewed debate over emergency room wait times and the effectiveness of emergency care systems in Canada.

#Global News