NAJRAN, 6 December 2007 — Two families who have suffered a hospital mix-up that caused them to receive each other’s newborn babies have been given a duplex villa in this southern Saudi city so that the children, who are now toddlers, can grow accustomed to their biological parents, the daily Al-Madinah reported yesterday.

The two families are now packing to move with their children Ali and Yaqub to new homes given to them by the Health Affairs in the region. “The challenging stage has passed,” said Yusuf Cucu, the father of one of the children.

Jamila Al-Inizi, a sociologist and a member of the psychological and medical team, taking care of the case said that the two mothers are now accepting the situation and that the two kids are willing to get involved with their actual parents.

According to Cucu, who narrated his entire story to members of the press, his son was born by caesarian section on Sept. 7, 2003, at King Khaled General Hospital in Najran.

“When I asked them to bring me my newborn, a nurse went to the delivery room and brought us the child. I was shocked at first,” said Cucu, a Turkish expatriate.

“I told his mother about what I saw: a child with none of our features. She said she knew about it, but ruled out anything strange, saying that his brown color could be from his uncle,” he said, adding that the nurse at the delivery room reassured them that this was indeed their baby.

Nine months passed and Cucu remained unconvinced. More and more people were asking them questions about their boy’s Arab features, for which they had no answer. He then decided to take his wife and three children to Turkey where he consulted his brother, a doctor.

The entire family underwent a blood test, the results of which showed nothing strange. The boy had O-positive blood type, similar to Yusuf’s other boys. The family then returned to the Kingdom. However, over the years, people continued raising suspicions about Yaqub.

Cucu said that at one point, he was almost convinced his son was illegitimate. Furious that his wife may have committed adultery, he said that he even considered ending her life.

In the end, friends advised him to travel to Turkey and undergo further medical checks. Even though DNA tests are expensive, Cucu was willing to pay whatever the cost to find the truth.

The family underwent DNA testing, which proved that the child was not their biological son.