The death of a 44-year-old father following an eight-hour wait in an Edmonton emergency department waiting room is a stark and tragic illustration of the severe pressures facing Alberta's healthcare system, according to a veteran physician and former political leader.
A Tragic Outcome After Hours of Waiting
Prashant Sreekumar died at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital on December 22, 2025. He had arrived at the emergency room complaining of chest pain. Despite his concerning symptoms, he waited for eight hours before being seen by medical staff. He died shortly after finally being admitted to a room.
His wife, Niharika Sreekumar, recounted that Prashant's pain worsened significantly during the long wait, making it difficult for him to stand, sit, or breathe. He was with his wife and father when he collapsed.
Frontline Staff Voice Their Daily Dread
Dr. Raj Sherman, a longtime Edmonton emergency physician and former leader of the Alberta Liberal Party, described the death as "absolutely horrendous and tragic." He believes the outcome was likely preventable with earlier intervention.
Sherman gave a chilling insight into the daily reality for emergency room workers, quoting their shared fear: "Us in the front lines — make no bones about it — every day we walk into our shift and go, 'Oh, God help us, I hope nobody dies in the waiting room.'" He emphasized that the system has been issuing warnings for decades.
How Triage Failed in an Overwhelmed System
According to Dr. Sherman, patients presenting with chest pain are typically considered high priority on the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale, often rated as a 1, 2, or 3. A Level 1 patient should receive a bed immediately.
"If you've got chest pain, you should be into an emergency bed at the back within 30 minutes, nine times out of 10," Sherman stated. Chest pain can signal a heart attack—which may not show on an initial electrocardiogram (ECG)—or other life-threatening conditions like pneumonia or aortic dissection.
At the Grey Nuns, an ECG and blood test performed on Sreekumar were initially reported as unremarkable, and he was given Tylenol. The core issue, Sherman explains, is that emergency departments are operating at or over capacity. A major contributing factor is the system's inability to move admitted patients from ERs to appropriate inpatient beds quickly enough, creating dangerous logjams.
The death of Prashant Sreekumar, a father of three, has become a somber symbol of a healthcare system struggling under immense strain, raising urgent questions about patient safety and systemic capacity in Alberta.
