Kathmandu, January 9:

A 50-year-old patient has vanished from the Kathmandu Model Hospital.

"Dipak Karki was in a critical condition when he came from Solu. He was admitted to the hospital on January 3 and underwent a surgery for appendicitis the same day," said Sagar Lal Shrestha, administrator of the hospital. Karki was recovering fast and was to be discharged in a few days. Even two attendants, who were stationed to look after Karki, do not know where Karki has gone. "At times, patients have slipped from our hospital without clearing bills. This is the first time a patient has gone missing from our hospital," Shrestha said. According to him, only one gate was open for the emergency department at the time Karki went missing yesterday. "Preliminary health check-up showed that Karki was not suffering from mental disorder," Shrestha said.