mumbai an average of 150 tb patients abscond from gtb hospital in sewri every year an rti query has revealed since 2013 nearly 800 patients have gone missing from the asias largest tb facility even as the hospital claimed many have been traced to their homesthe who report on tb released on tuesday termed it the worlds deadliest infectious disease affecting 10 million in 2017 and contributing to 16 million deathsin 2017 a total of 115 patients disappeared from the 1200bed hospital without seeking a formal discharge it was a marginal fall from 163 in 2016 that included 20 female patients in the first eight months of 2018 76 patients have already absconded despite the hospital introducing measures to improve the treatment and stay experience male patients have constituted around 8085 of the missing cohort the rti query filed by chetan kothari foundexperts say the numbers have once again highlighted the painfully long tuberculosis treatment regimes that can stretch up to two years for patients suffering from multidrug and extensively drugresistant tb additionally the treatment can linger if patients suffer from complications such as damage of one or both lungs for most diseases the patients length of hospitalisation is predictable but for tb it can stretch from weeks months to years said dr lalit anande medical superintendent of gtb hospitalthe average duration of hospitalisation ranges from one to three months however the longest a patient has stayed in the sewri hospital where abandonment is common was 14 years so much so that a garden in the hospital premises was named after the patient who had succumbed to the disease kothari said that 10 patients have been abandoned by their relatives in the hospital since 2014 of which three cases were as recent as last years the number of patients seeking discharge against medical advice from the facility also hovers between 500 to 600 every yearanande said the hospital administration registers an fir with the local police station after a patient disappears often a phone call from the police station is enough to know that the patient has gone back to his relatives or friend