“Hospital killed my husband,” says wife after Indian-origin man’s death in Canada

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 grieving wife accusing the hospital of negligence has gone viral on social media.

In the video, Niharika Sreekumar is seen standing beside the body of her husband, Prashant Sreekumar, alleging that prolonged delays and a lack of timely medical care at Grey Nuns Community Hospital led to his death. “The hospital killed my husband,” she says, claiming 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, continuously reporting pain while his blood pressure kept rising. The last recorded reading, she said, was 210 — well above the normal range.

During this period, she claimed, her husband was only given Tylenol and received no further medical intervention. “They told us chest pain was not considered an emergency and that they did not suspect a cardiac issue,” she said. After more than eight hours, Prashant was finally taken inside 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. Medical staff attempted to resuscitate him, 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 further accused hospital staff and administrators of failing her husband at a critical moment. She also alleged that security personnel behaved insensitively when she questioned the delay in treatment. “Instead of addressing what went wrong, they told me I was being rude,” she said.

Echoing the family’s allegations, Prashant’s father, Kumar Sreekumar, told Canadian media that his son had 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 alarming findings and 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, saying the case is currently 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.