Elon Musk slams Canada hospital over Indian-origin man's death due to alleged neglect: ‘Medical care as good as DMV'

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has slammed the healthcare system of Canada after a video went viral saying that an Indian-origin Canadian died in a hospital due to lack of attention when he was suffering a cardiac arrest. The death of a 44-year-old man died while waiting for nearly eight hours for medical attention.

“When the government does medical care, it is about as good as the DMV,” Elon Musk said in a post on X, reacting to the video of the victim's wife blaming the hospital for his death.

The SpaceX chief compared the Canadian healthcare system with the US Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) which faces backlash for its inefficiency. The case has caused widespread outrage online and has even drawn attention from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Despite severe chest pain, the deceased identified as Prashant Sreekumar was kept in the waiting area of Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton. A viral video shows his wife recounting how the hospital staff allegedly neglected her husband's condition and did not provide treatment in time which could have saved his life. Prashant Sreekumar is survived by his wife and three children.

Why Elon Musk's comment matters

Elon Musk's comment comes at a time when Canada's healthcare system is being questioned online.

Medicare, Canada's healthcare system, is a publicly funded network that provides health insurance plan to its residents recognised by provincial or territorial government. The health insurance plan of the “universal health care system” provides free access to "basic" and “medically necessary” hospital and doctor services.

“It's up to the provinces and territories to determine which services they consider are medically necessary and will cover….The provinces and territories are responsible for delivering health care services, which includes regulating health care providers such as doctors and nurses,” the official website states.

Social media reactions

Several social media users expressed their dissatisfaction online over the stagnant medical facility. A user stated, "You can’t even get a family doctor in Canada. You get put on a waiting list."

Another user remarked, “When the government gets involved the quality of care drops. Guaranteed this guy saw more bureaucrats than he saw medical professionals.”

A third comment read, “Canadian hospitals are less staffed and more overcrowded, and sadly, this has happened. I would say India has the better health care than most Western countries.”

A fourth user stated, “Canadian health care system is a disaster, they made my 90 year mom wait for over 10 hours in the waiting room.”