A Calgary family is speaking out after their uncle’s death — just hours after he was discharged from a southern Alberta hospital.

They say 59-year-old Phuong Nguyen was taken to the Brooks Health Centre for an assessment on the morning of April 18, after he experienced chest pains.

“They did ultrasound, they did heart attack test,” says Phuong’s niece, Nhi Nguyen. “They ran ECG but everything went normal.”

Nhi says her uncle was discharged with a prescription after being treated for stomach pain following the eight-hour stay in the hospital.

However, she believes he shouldn’t have been sent home, saying that he was in no condition to leave.

“He still complaining about chest pain,” she says. “He said that the pain actually is throughout all over his body, especially numbness in his legs.”

Nhi said her uncle couldn’t walk so she and her father assisted him to the car before making the trip home to Calgary.

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They only made it about 20 minutes along Highway 1 before she had to call 911 when Phuong stopped breathing.

“We saw his face already turn purple and then they advise me to do CPR on him,” she says.

Among the first responders included the County of Newell Fire Service, who confirmed that its “team provided support until the individual was in the care of EMS.”

EHS-Alberta paramedics tells Global News that they transported one adult in life-threatening condition to the Bassano Health Centre.

The family says that’s where their uncle died. They also say Phuong had a pre-existing heart condition.

“The medical history was there. Why didn’t he do something else?” says Nih.

“The outcome would have been different had he been taken seriously,” says Phuong’s nephew, Khai Luu.

Alberta Health Services wouldn’t comment on this specific incident out of respect for patient privacy.

“We take situations like this very seriously,” AHS said in a statement to Global News.

“Incidents such as this are reviewed through established processes to better understand the circumstances involved, including the care provided and the clinical decisions made, and to identify opportunities to strengthen patient safety and quality of care.”

Phuong leaves behind his wife and two school-aged children.

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