Days after a 44-year-old Indian-origin man died of a suspected cardiac arrest.
While awaiting treatment at a hospital in Canada’s Edmonton, a video of his wife accusing the hospital of negligence has gone viral on social media.
In the video, Niharika Sreekumar is seen standing beside her husband Prashant Sreekumar’s body, alleging that prolonged delays and a lack of timely medical intervention at Grey Nuns Community Hospital led to his death.
“The hospital killed my husband,” she says in the video, claiming that he was made to wait for nearly eight hours despite repeatedly complaining of severe chest pain.
According to Niharika, Prashant began experiencing acute chest pain around noon on Monday, December 22, and was taken to the hospital by 12.20 pm. She alleged that he remained seated in the triage area until close to 9 pm, during which time he continued to report worsening pain.
She further claimed that his blood pressure kept rising while he waited, with the last recorded reading at 210 — significantly higher than normal levels. During this period, she said, Prashant was given only Tylenol and did not receive further medical treatment.
“They told us chest pain was not considered an emergency and that they did not suspect a cardiac issue,” she alleged. After more than eight hours, Prashant was finally taken in for treatment. Moments later, he collapsed.
“He stood up briefly and then fainted. I heard the nurse say she couldn’t feel a pulse,” Niharika recalled. Hospital staff attempted resuscitation, but he could not be revived and was declared dead due to an apparent cardiac arrest.
Prashant Sreekumar is survived by his wife and their three children, aged three, 10 and 14.
Niharika also accused hospital staff and administrators of failing her husband at a critical moment, and alleged that security personnel behaved insensitively when she questioned the delay in care. “Instead of addressing what went wrong, they told me I was being rude,” she said.
Echoing the family’s claims, Prashant’s father, Kumar Sreekumar, told Canadian media that his son repeatedly informed hospital staff that his pain was “15 out of 10”.
He said an electrocardiogram (ECG) was conducted, but the family was told there were no concerning findings and they were asked to continue waiting. “He told me, ‘Papa, I cannot bear the pain,’” Kumar Sreekumar said.
Grey Nuns Community Hospital is operated by the Covenant Health network. In a statement, the organisation expressed condolences to the family but declined to comment on specific aspects of patient care, stating that the matter is under review by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
“We extend our sympathies to the patient’s family and friends. The safety and care of our patients and staff remain our highest priority,” the statement said.
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