Hospital in second twins mix-up case

THE Spanish hospital that separated two identical twins at birth mixed up another set of siblings the same year, it emerged yesterday.

Two 35-year-old women are already suing the hospital in Gran Canaria after discovering they have lived separate lives because of the cock-up.

A second set of identical twin boys grew up apart after suffering the same fate, local paper La Provincia has reported.

Both sets of twins were born prematurely in 1973 at Nuestra Señora del Pino Hospital in the Gran Canaria capital Las Palmas.

One of the twins died before finding out about the mistake, the paper reported.

The dead man’s sister is said to have uncovered the gaffe by chance after bumping into his biological twin brother.

DNA tests they took because of the uncanny resemblance between them revealed the person she had assumed all her life was her brother, was in fact the son of another woman.

The family have so far decided against launching legal action over the mistake.

The news comes just two days after it emerged health chiefs in Las Palmas face a multi-million euro lawsuit after mixing up two female identical twins. One of the women is suing for €3 million in damages.

The twins discovered each other by chance after a misunderstanding at a clothes shop.

A former nursing assistant at the now-defunct hospital has admitted she was not surprised to learn of the mix-up.

Densi Calero, who worked at the incubation unit in the 1970s, said: “Back then two nursing assistants and one supervisor were looking after about 60 babies a day. It doesn’t astonish me that this has happened.”