Indian-origin man’s death sparks Musk’s scathing attack on Canada’s health system

Reacting to reports of the incident, Musk wrote on X: “When the government does medical care, it is about as good as the DMV.”

Prashant Sreekumar’s Tragic Death

The family of Prashant Sreekumar, a father of three, has alleged medical negligence after he collapsed and died of a suspected cardiac arrest at Grey Nuns Hospital on December 22.

According to the family, Sreekumar repeatedly complained of severe chest pain—describing it as “15 out of 10”—while waiting in the emergency department. He was taken to the hospital in southeast Edmonton by a client after experiencing chest pain at his office.

Despite undergoing an electrocardiogram (ECG), which reportedly showed no immediate abnormalities, Sreekumar remained in the waiting area for nearly eight hours, his family said.

Speaking to Global News, his father Kumar Sreekumar recalled a distressing phone call from his son.
“He told me, ‘Papa, I cannot bear the pain,’” he said.

The family alleged that hospital staff asked Sreekumar to continue waiting and offered him Tylenol for pain relief. Kumar further claimed that his son’s blood pressure continued to rise during repeated checks by nurses.

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

After several hours, Sreekumar was finally taken into a treatment area. Moments later, tragedy struck.

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

Despite emergency efforts by medical staff, Sreekumar reportedly died of an apparent cardiac arrest.

Family friend Varinder Bhullar told Global News that the family had expected far better care from the hospital and the Canadian healthcare system.

In response, Grey Nuns Hospital issued a statement expressing condolences to the bereaved family.

“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 hospital said.