'This is a national crisis': Edmonton ER death of 44-year-old father Prashanth Sreekumar sparks grief, anger and debate

The Alberta government has ordered a review after the death of a 44-year-old father of three at a hospital emergency room — a tragedy that has triggered an outpouring of grief among Canadians and a fierce debate about the state of the country's crippling health care system online.

Prashanth Sreekumar collapsed and died after waiting for more than eight hours at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital emergency room in Edmonton. Sreekumar, an accountant, arrived at the hospital around noon on Dec. 22 after experiencing severe chest pain.

In a now viral clip online, Sreekumar's wife shared a statement explaining how her husband was triaged, given an electrocardiogram and told nothing significant was found before being asked to wait. After more than eight hours in the waiting room, Sreekumar was finally called into the treatment zone, where, within seconds, he stood up, clutched his chest and collapsed.

The 44-year-old family man died shortly after an apparent cardiac arrest, leaving behind his wife and three children.

From 'I hope she sues' to 'the side effect of free health care': Canadians livid following Sreekumar's death

The video of Sreekumar's wife has been shared widely across TikTok, Instagram, Reddit and Facebook, resulting in collective online grief and anger among Canadians who remain frustrated with the deteriorating state of the so-called free health care.

Thousands of reactions poured in with many expressing heartbreak and fury.

"This is a national crisis," commented an Instagram user in response to the video of Sreekumar's wife.

"The hospital and clinic wait times in Canada are crazy," said another.

"The side effect of free health care," chimed in a third.

"This was so hard to watch and right before Christmas," wrote a fourth.

Some comments went further, urging legal action and condemning what they described as the shortcomings of publicly funded health care.

"I hope she sues. It will be a very long and expensive battle but it will pay out!"

Canadians share personal experiences

Many Canadians reacting online framed the tragedy as a broader systemic failure, calling it a "national crisis," and shared personal stories of long emergency room waits for serious conditions.

"My mother waited 10 hours in ER, coughing up blood clots from a pulmonary embolism … truly heartbreaking!!!" an Instagram user wrote.

"I remember during COVID times, I was taken to a hospital for severe chest pain and heavy breathing. Had to wait 6 hours cuz apparently I looked 'young and healthy'. They did an X-ray, and my lungs were full of water," shared another.

"A B.C. hospital discharged my mother when she was having a stroke and put her in a taxi cab. They wheeled her out while she could not walk or talk. She became a quadriplegic. She died 13 months later from infection also from the negligence of the facility she was in who hid the severity of her wound. I got an apology from the ER hospital. Unfortunately, the laws in B.C. protect hospitals and doctors. It’s very hard to get anywhere with these cases," another Instagram user said.

Context, triage and system strain

While most reactions reflected frustration and anger over Canada's current health care crisis, some chose to look beyond the noise and laid out important context around the protocol for priority followed by the country's emergency rooms.

In a lengthy post, a Facebook user explained how Canada's triage-based emergency system works — emphasizing that patients are not prioritized by arrival time, but by their immediate medical risk.

A Reddit user, who identified as an emergency department worker, echoed that perspective, describing severe overcrowding, ICU bed shortages, and staffing strain across Edmonton hospitals. The commenter stressed that while outcomes can be tragic, frontline staff are often operating within a system stretched beyond capacity.

Another shared perspective among commenters was that calling 911 when Sreekumar first experienced severe chest pain over walking into the hospital E.R. would have probably saved his life as the responders are equipped to deal with cardiac arrests on the spot.

Covenant Health, which operates Grey Nuns Hospital, declined to comment on patient-specific care but in a public statement said: "We are deeply saddened regarding the death of a 44-year-old male patient at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton on December 22, 2025. 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.”

Yahoo News Canada reached out to Covenant Health for a comment, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

As Sreekumar's family mourns, the conversation about trust, accountability and Canadians' expectations from the health care system continues online.