Indian-origin man dies in Canada after being made to wait for 8 hours in hospital emergency room
A 44-year-old Indian-origin man, Prashant Sreekumar, died after allegedly waiting more than eight hours in the emergency room of an Edmonton hospital despite repeatedly complaining of severe chest pain. His family said his condition worsened while he was made to wait, and he collapsed shortly after being taken into the treatment area. The hospital has expressed condolences and said the case has been referred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
New Delhi: In a disturbing incident, a 44-year-old Indian-origin man died on Monday after reportedly waiting for over eight hours in the emergency room of an Edmonton hospital in Canada. He was kept waiting despite repeatedly complaining of severe chest pain.
The incident took place at Grey Nuns Community Hospital, Global News reported.
The deceased, Prashant Sreekumar, was an accountant and father of three. He started feeling sharp chest pain while at work and was taken to the hospital by a client. After triage, Prashant was told to wait in the emergency room. But, hours later, he reportedly collapsed and died in the treatment area.
Video goes viral
A footage has gone viral on social media in which Prashant’s wife can be seen talking about the harrowing ordeal that went on for hours. She claimed that Prashant's blood pressure had gone up to 210 even as he sat in the emergency room and that he was reportedly given only Tylenol, even though he complained of "unbearable” pain.
The Global News report revealed that Prashant’s father, Kumar Sreekumar, said that his son kept telling him and the hospital staff that he was experiencing terrible pain. "He told me, ‘Papa, I cannot bear the pain,’” Kumar said.
Prashant's family said that an ECG was carried out, but they claimed they were told that nothing significant was detected and that he should continue waiting. As time passed, nurses reportedly checked his blood pressure from time to time, which his family said kept shooting up. More than eight hours later, when Prashant was finally taken into the treatment area, he collapsed within seconds and suffered a suspected cardiac arrest.
Prashant leaves behind his wife and three children aged three, 10 and 14. Varinder Bhullar, a family friend, dubbed the loss as "huge” and said the incident was shocking and unacceptable. He added that they expected better from the hospital and the health-care system.
Hospital's reaction
Grey Nuns Community Hospital is operated by Covenant Health. The organisation told Global News that it could not reveal the details of the case because of privacy reasons. However, it confirmed that the matter has been referred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Issuing a statement, it said: "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.”