Niharika Sreekumar is living a nightmare.
“My tears have dried… My tears have dried up, I cry when I am alone.”
Niharika is demanding justice following the death of her husband in the emergency room of an Edmonton hospital after a wait of more than eight hours to see a doctor.
Through her grief, she vows to pursue the truth and determine how this happened.
Niharika said there’s a Hindi phrase she will use to guide her efforts, “Saam Daam Dand Bhed,” meaning “what it will take.”
“Whatever it will take to get justice for Prashant, I am going to fight,” she said.
On Dec. 22, Niharika’s husband, Prashant Sreekumar, started experiencing severe chest pains while he was at work. A client drove him to the Grey Nuns Hospital in southeast Edmonton.
The 44-year-old was checked in and then took a seat in the waiting room. Staff did an electrocardiogram (ECG) to check his heart’s function, but the family said Prashant was told there was nothing of significance and to keep waiting.
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Staff offered Prashant some Tylenol for his pain. Nurses also checked his blood pressure, Niharika said it kept going up.
“It was the ugliest feeling of my life,” she said.
Prashant’s father, Kumar Sreekumar, said when his son was finally called into to get treatment he sat down for a few seconds, he got up, put his hand on his chest and died.
Nurses called for help but it was too late. Prashant died of an apparent cardiac arrest.
Global News sent an interview request to Hospital and Surgical Services Minister Matt Jones’s office and was referred to a social media post in which Jones expressed condolences. He also said the circumstances surrounding Prashant’s death will be jointly reviewed by Acute Care Alberta and Covenant Health Alberta. The ministry will also overlook the review.
Premier Danielle Smith also posted her condolences to social media.
Sarah Hoffman, the NDP shadow minister for hospital and surgical health facilities, said it’s important to get to the bottom of this situation, stressing that Prashant’s experience highlights the crisis of emergency wait times and that people have been raising concerns about it for years.
“I worry that some of this is by design, that Danielle Smith and the UCP want people to lose confidence in the health care system, that they want us to believe that we should have to pay out of pocket to get quality care,” Hoffman said.
The Alberta Medical Association also expressed concerns. In a statement, it said the tragic death will weigh on many, including members of the health care community. “The AMA remains concerned about the pressures facing emergency care in Alberta and whether the system is adequately resourced to support patients safely, sustainably and with accountability.”
Niharika said her husband never received the quality care he deserved. She wants people to know he was an immigrant and a proud Canadian citizen. She said Prashant was a great provider and a hard worker, allowing her to stay home and focus on the kids.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with any costs. Donors have raised more than $90,000 in the three days since Prashant’s death.
“He was a fantastic friend, he was an uber loving husband and amazing superhero father to his kids,” Niharika said.
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