Indian youth in Canada did not get timely treatment, billionaire Elon Musk raised questions on Canada’s health system.

New Delhi: Space and technology billionaire Elon Musk strongly criticized Canada’s public health system after 44-year-old Indian-origin Prashant Sreekumar died during a long wait in hospital. “When the government provides medical services, it is almost as efficient as the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles),” Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter). The comments came soon after the news of Prashant’s death caught global attention.

Painful death of Prashant Srikumar

According to the family, Prashant Sreekumar was admitted to the Gray Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton on December 22 at around 12:15 pm. He was kept in the first aid area for more than eight hours despite suffering severe chest pain. He could not be treated until 8:50 pm, and his heart eventually stopped.

His wife Niharika Sreekumar shared a video, in which she said that the hospital staff ignored her husband’s complaints. It can be clearly seen in the video that Prashant was repeatedly complaining of pain, while the hospital only gave him Tylenol and did not consider any sign of serious heart problem.

family complaints

Prashant’s father Kumar Srikumar told that his son had described his pain as 15 out of 10. According to the family, the hospital staff continuously delayed treatment on the pretext that the electrocardiogram (ECG) report did not show any immediately dangerous condition. When he was finally taken to the treatment room, he became unconscious within seconds and could not be saved.

Talking about the incident Niharika said, "He was asked to sit. He got up for a moment and fell down. The nurse said that I could not feel his pulse." This tragic incident has created huge outrage among the family and the local community.

What did the Foreign Ministry say?

India’s Foreign Ministry has also taken cognizance of this matter and has urged the Canadian government to take responsibility for the matter. Prashant Sreekumar was the father of three children and his sudden death has left his family in deep grief.

Questions raised on health system

Elon Musk’s statement has raised questions globally about the inefficiency of Canada’s healthcare system. He compared Canada’s health system to the US Department of Motor Vehicles, which often faces criticism for slow and complex processes.

The family says that if proper treatment had been provided on time, Prashant’s life could have been saved. This incident has sparked serious debate over the structure of emergency medical care and the quality of first aid in Canada.