Dalena Reporters l December 25, 2025
A 44‑year‑old Edmonton man, Prashant Sreekumar, has died after waiting more than eight hours in the emergency room of Grey Nuns Community Hospital without receiving treatment, prompting serious concerns about healthcare response times in Canada’s Alberta province. Sreekumar, a father of three, was rushed to the southeast Edmonton hospital on December 22, 2025, after experiencing severe chest pains while at work.
According to the family, Sreekumar was checked in at triage and placed in the waiting area, where he repeatedly told both relatives and hospital staff that his pain was “15 out of 10,” yet he was not immediately attended to by a doctor. Nurses reportedly conducted an electrocardiogram (ECG) and provided him with pain relief medication before instructing him to continue waiting, even as his condition deteriorated.
More than eight hours after arrival, Sreekumar was finally called into the treatment area. Shortly after sitting down, he stood up, clutched his chest, and collapsed. Medical staff attempted to resuscitate him, but he died of an apparent cardiac arrest.
Hospital operator Covenant Health, which runs Grey Nuns Community Hospital, said the case is now under review by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and offered sympathy to the family, emphasising that patient and staff safety is a priority. However, the family and community members are demanding answers about how Sreekumar’s reported severe symptoms were not treated sooner and are calling for improvements to emergency care protocols.
Sreekumar is survived by his wife and three children, aged three, 10, and 14, and his death has sparked renewed debate about emergency room wait times and healthcare system pressures in Alberta.