Tech billionaire Elon Musk has sharply criticised Canada’s public healthcare system after a 44-year-old father died in an emergency room at Grey Nuns Hospital, allegedly after waiting nearly eight hours to see a doctor.

Reacting on X (formerly Twitter), Musk reshared a viral video posted by the victim’s wife and wrote, “When the government does medical care, it is about as good as the DMV.” He later reiterated the remark, saying, “Government healthcare is like having the DMV as your doctor,” while claiming his AI tool Grok and Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus would offer better healthcare in the future.

What happened at the hospital

According to reports by Global News, Prashant Sreekuma experienced severe chest pain while at work on December 22 and was taken to the hospital around 12.20 pm. His father, Kumar, said his son described the pain as “15 out of 10”.

Hospital staff reportedly conducted an ECG and told the family there was nothing significant, asking them to keep waiting. Sreekuma was given only Tylenol for pain relief. He was finally seen by a doctor around 8.50 pm, after which he collapsed moments later and died of an apparent heart attack.

“After sitting maybe 10 seconds, he got up, held his chest and just crashed,” his father recalled.

Wife’s video sparks outrage

Sreekuma’s wife shared an emotional video on social media, viewed over 9 million times, alleging prolonged neglect. She said her husband collapsed while waiting and accused hospital staff of dismissing his condition, claiming chest pain was “not considered an acute problem”.

She further alleged hospital security called her “rude” during the ordeal and accused the hospital administration of failing to provide timely care.

Hospital response and investigation

Covenant Health, which operates Grey Nuns Hospital, said it could not comment on specifics but stated that the patient “was receiving care”. Chief Operating Officer Karen Macmillan expressed condolences and said the matter has been referred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Wider debate on wait times

The incident has reignited debate over healthcare wait times in Canada. Earlier reports by the National Post claimed more than 74,000 Canadians have died while waiting for surgeries or diagnostic procedures since 2018, with over 15,000 deaths recorded in 2023–24 alone.

The tragedy has drawn international attention, with Musk’s comments amplifying scrutiny of Canada’s taxpayer-funded healthcare system and fuelling intense public debate.