Toronto, 26 Dec

A 44-year-old Indian-origin man died of a suspected cardiac arrest after waiting for more than eight hours for treatment at a Canadian hospital’s emergency department, a media report has said, triggering questions over patient care and emergency response.

Prashant Sreekumar began experiencing severe chest pain while at work on December 22, Global News reported. A client drove him to the Grey Nuns Hospital in southeast Edmonton, where he was registered at triage and asked to wait in the emergency room.

His father, Kumar Sreekumar, arrived at the hospital shortly thereafter and said his son was in visible distress.

“He told me, ‘Papa, I cannot bear the pain,'” Kumar said.

According to the family, Prashant described his pain to hospital staff as “15 out of 10”. An electrocardiogram (ECG) was conducted, but they were informed that nothing significant had been found and that he would need to continue waiting. Staff later offered him Tylenol to manage the pain.

As the hours passed, Kumar said nurses periodically checked his son’s blood pressure.

“It went up, up, and up. To me, it was through the roof.”

More than eight hours after arriving, Prashant was finally called into the treatment area.

“After sitting maybe 10 seconds, he looked at me, he got up and put his hand on his chest and just crashed,” Kumar said.

Despite nurses calling for assistance, Prashant could not be revived and died of anapparent cardiac arrest, the report said.

Prashant is survived by his wife and three children, aged three, 10 and 14. His family described him as deeply devoted and playful with his children.

“He was for his family, for his kids; he was so nice. Anybody who talked to him said, ‘We don’t know a better than him,'” Kumar said.

A video shared on social media shows Prashant’s wife recounting the ordeal, alleging his blood pressure reached 210 while he remained in the waiting room.

"They said that chest pain is not considered an acute problem, they do not suspect a cardiac arrest...," she said.

Family friend Varinder Bhullar said the death has shaken the community.

“We expect better from the hospital and health-care system,” Bhullar said.

Grey Nuns Hospital, operated by Covenant Health, said the case is under review by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

“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,” the organisation said in a statement.

As the family mourns, Kumar said the circumstances of his son’s death remain haunting.

“They took my baby for nothing. For nothing,” he said.