Sreekumar is survived by his wife and three children, aged 3, 10, and 14. (Photo: Screenshot/ Special Arrangement) Tech billionaire Elon Musk has criticised the Canadian healthcare system after the death of 44-year-old Indian-origin man Prashant Sreekumar, who died from cardiac arrest after allegedly waiting for over eight hours for treatment in a Canadian hospital’s emergency room area.
According to the family members, Prashant died after he was kept in the waiting area of Grey Nuns Community Hospital, which is located in the city of Edmonton. Prashant was reportedly kept waiting despite having chest pain. A video has since gone viral on social media where Prashant’s wife is detailing how the hospital staff allegedly ignored her husband’s condition.
When the government does medical care, it is about as good as the DMV https://t.co/kRdlL3idyF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 26, 2025
In a post on X, Elon Musk criticised the healthcare system of Canada and compared it to the US motor vehicle department which is reportedly considered inefficient by several people. Musk wrote, “When the government does medical care, it is about as good as the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles).”
In the video, Prashant’s wife claimed that his blood pressure had risen to 210 as he sat in the waiting room and he was only given Tylenol even after he complained of “unbearable pain”. “They said that chest pain is not considered an acute problem, they do not suspect a cardiac arrest,” his wife said, PTI reported.
The Ministry of External Affairs was questioned about Prashant’s death allegedly due to medical negligence, and the ministry had said that Prashant is of Indian origin but he happens to be a Canadian national. “So, the government of Canada should take responsibility in this particular matter,” the MEA stated.
Prashant’s father Kumar Sreekumar described what his son said regarding the pain he was going through. “He told me, ‘Papa, I cannot bear the pain,’” Sreekumar said. He added that his son told him and the hospital staff about the pain which was a 15 out of 10, PTI reported.
(with inputs from PTI)
