THREE SPANISH women at the centre of a "wrong baby" mix-up three decades ago are suing the health service in the Canary Islands for ruining their lives.
Two of the three are identical twins who were separated at birth in March 1973 when staff at El Pino Hospital in Las Palmas mistakenly handed over to their parents another girl born about the same time. All three babies had been under observation in incubators immediately after their births.
The bizarre bungle came to light when a shop assistant served a woman she was convinced was her friend and was puzzled that the latter did not acknowledge her. Hurt by the snub, she later called her friend only to learn that the woman had not been to the shop. By coincidence, the mystery shopper returned a few days later to exchange the clothes purchased and was confronted by the sales assistant about her identity.
The assistant introduced the two identical women, who were amazed at the similarities in their voices, mannerisms and the way they walked.
"It was like looking in the mirror," said one of the pair, who do not want to be identified in the media until the legal dispute is settled.
After tracing their life stories, they managed to work out the circumstances of their separation and concluded that the "twin" with whom one had been reared was not in fact her real sister.
The newly reunited twins were initially reluctant to go public because of the devastating repercussions the news would have on their families. The revelation, confirmed through DNA tests, has had a particularly serious effect on one of the two women, who has needed psychological treatment to come to terms with her new identity.
Sebastián Socorro, a lawyer in Las Palmas who is representing one of the victims of the mix-up, has taken her claim to court after attempts to resolve the matter directly with the health service failed. Señor Socorro said he was "flabbergasted" at insinuations by the health service that the mix-up had been the fault of the parents of the three babies, not hospital staff.
"My client has been deprived of her identity for her entire life and has missed out on the chance to live with her biological family due to a massive blunder by the hospital. Her real father died before the mistake was discovered. It is much more than just psychological damage," he said on Monday.
The health service is being sued for €3 million damages but has offered only €700, according to media reports.