According to the provincial health department, the man was admitted to Stellenbosch Hospital, Cape Town on October 5 and underwent abdominal surgery; however, the man disappeared while a nurse who was attending him left to fetch clean linen.
Western Cape Health Department spokesperson, Mark Van der Heever said upon realising the patient went missing, they immediately started a search party and the South African Police Services (SAPS) were unable to find him.

“Sadly, the patient’s body was discovered 13 days later in an isolated area in the ceiling, which is difficult to reach. There is currently construction work being carried out at the hospital which also contributed to the difficulty of the search.

“The circumstances relating to how the patient got access to the ceiling are currently being investigated,” Van der Heever said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Mahlangu said the incident must have opened wounds and painful reminder to the Makinye family that their loved one who disappeared mysteriously 15 years ago from Thusong Provincial Hospital in the North West Province is still unaccounted for them to find closure.
“The mystery surrounding the suspected death and burial of Steven Makinye who was a father of seven needs to be unravelled including how the body of a patient decomposed on hospital premises without anyone noticing,” concern Mahlangu added.

The New Age