BAK
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 11, 2007
- 124,790
- 288,007
Czech mate - DNA tests show hospital mixed up babies
Fred Attewill and agencies
Wednesday October 10, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
Two Czech couples are preparing to swap their 10-month-old babies after the hospital where they were born admitted mixing them up.
The parents were meeting at a secret location today to discuss how to return the babies to their proper homes this year.
The mistake came to light when dark-haired lorry driver Libor Broza became suspicious of his "daughter", Nikola, who was blonde-haired, blue-eyed and did not seem to resemble him or his partner, who is also dark.
DNA tests revealed he was not the father. Further DNA tests then proved Jaroslava Trojanova was not the mother. The girl in fact belonged to Jan Cermak and his wife, Jaroslava Cermakova, who were raising the other couple's daughter, Veronika.
Police have launched an inquiry into the clinic in Trebic, which is located 100 miles south-east of the Czech capital, Prague, where the babies were born within 18 minutes of each other on December 9.
Both mothers had been suspicious after their birth weights were altered the next day by hospital staff. Nikola, whose birth weight was recorded as 7lb 4oz, had shrunk to 5lb 12oz the following day, while Veronika's weight rose 1lb 8oz overnight. Nurses had told the mothers that the birth weights had probably been wrongly recorded.
Mr Broza said: "It was a total shock. I just cried for two hours solid and Jaroslava was inconsolable.
"It was just impossible to believe that this could happen. We have raised Nikola for the last 10 months. She's a beautiful little girl who's always smiling and it's impossible to imagine her now living apart from us. But at the same time just 20 miles away lives our real daughter."
His partner, Jaroslava, said: "Of course, we are happy, but on the other hand we also feel terrible."
Both couples, which met for the first time last week, have forged a bond with "their" babies and have decided to swap them back gradually, spending more time together.
"The main reason for the meeting is to get the families ready for the exchange and learn more about each other," psychologist Olga Hinkova, who is helping the couples through the transition, was quoted as saying in the Mlada Fronta Dnes newspaper today.
"It will be more difficult for the mothers to cope with it than for the children," Ms Hinkova said.
The hospital said today it was cooperating with the police into what it called a "regrettable case".
The hospital director, Petr Mayer, apologised to the parents and offered them help in resolving the problem.
However, both couples reportedly plan to sue the hospital for 10m koruna (£255,000).
Fred Attewill and agencies
Wednesday October 10, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
Two Czech couples are preparing to swap their 10-month-old babies after the hospital where they were born admitted mixing them up.
The parents were meeting at a secret location today to discuss how to return the babies to their proper homes this year.
The mistake came to light when dark-haired lorry driver Libor Broza became suspicious of his "daughter", Nikola, who was blonde-haired, blue-eyed and did not seem to resemble him or his partner, who is also dark.
DNA tests revealed he was not the father. Further DNA tests then proved Jaroslava Trojanova was not the mother. The girl in fact belonged to Jan Cermak and his wife, Jaroslava Cermakova, who were raising the other couple's daughter, Veronika.
Police have launched an inquiry into the clinic in Trebic, which is located 100 miles south-east of the Czech capital, Prague, where the babies were born within 18 minutes of each other on December 9.
Both mothers had been suspicious after their birth weights were altered the next day by hospital staff. Nikola, whose birth weight was recorded as 7lb 4oz, had shrunk to 5lb 12oz the following day, while Veronika's weight rose 1lb 8oz overnight. Nurses had told the mothers that the birth weights had probably been wrongly recorded.
Mr Broza said: "It was a total shock. I just cried for two hours solid and Jaroslava was inconsolable.
"It was just impossible to believe that this could happen. We have raised Nikola for the last 10 months. She's a beautiful little girl who's always smiling and it's impossible to imagine her now living apart from us. But at the same time just 20 miles away lives our real daughter."
His partner, Jaroslava, said: "Of course, we are happy, but on the other hand we also feel terrible."
Both couples, which met for the first time last week, have forged a bond with "their" babies and have decided to swap them back gradually, spending more time together.
"The main reason for the meeting is to get the families ready for the exchange and learn more about each other," psychologist Olga Hinkova, who is helping the couples through the transition, was quoted as saying in the Mlada Fronta Dnes newspaper today.
"It will be more difficult for the mothers to cope with it than for the children," Ms Hinkova said.
The hospital said today it was cooperating with the police into what it called a "regrettable case".
The hospital director, Petr Mayer, apologised to the parents and offered them help in resolving the problem.
However, both couples reportedly plan to sue the hospital for 10m koruna (£255,000).
