Mpilo Hospital Under Fire After DNA Tests Reveal Babies Swapped at Birth

Bulawayo — Two Zimbabwean families have been left devastated after discovering that their daughters, now 18 years old, were accidentally swapped at birth at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo on May 13, 2007.

The shocking discovery emerged when the father of one of the girls began to question why his youngest child bore no resemblance to her siblings. Acting on his doubts, he secretly ordered a DNA test, which confirmed that he was not the biological father of the girl he had raised for nearly two decades.

According to relatives, the revelation initially tore the family apart, as the man accused his wife of infidelity. However, the mother adamant that she had remained faithful began her own investigation, returning to Mpilo Hospital to review birth records from that day.

Hospital files revealed that only two girls had been born on that date, leading her to identify the other mother involved. In 2023, after locating the woman on social media, the two families met and agreed to conduct DNA testing. The results confirmed their worst fears their babies had been swapped at birth.

Sources close to the case say Mpilo Hospital acknowledged the mix-up, attributing it to the chaotic conditions of 2007, when Zimbabwe was in the throes of an economic meltdown that left health institutions understaffed and poorly equipped.

“They admitted the baby tags might have fallen off and been reattached incorrectly,” one family member revealed. “The hospital said systems were weak at the time due to the national crisis.”

Mpilo’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Narcisius Dzvanga, said the hospital was still preparing a formal response to media inquiries. Families, however, claim that little has been done to provide psychological support or counselling.

“They should have assigned psychologists to help us cope,” said a relative. “Instead, we’ve been left to handle the trauma on our own.”

The situation has been especially complex for the two girls, who were raised in different provinces  one in Bulawayo, the other in Shurugwi. The Shurugwi girl’s father tragically passed away before learning the truth.

The two families have agreed to allow the girls to spend time together to bond and adjust, though language and cultural differences one family is Shona-speaking and the other Ndebele have made the process challenging. Legal action against the hospital is reportedly being considered.

This is not the first baby mix-up to rock Bulawayo’s public hospitals. Earlier this year, a similar case at United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) made headlines after a mother who had delivered a boy was handed a girl following a Caesarean section. Her persistence led to DNA testing that proved the infants had indeed been exchanged.

The latest revelation adds to Mpilo Hospital’s growing list of controversies. The institution has recently faced recruitment scandals, including the admission of nursing students with forged O’ Level certificates and the shocking case of a fake doctor, Taurayi Prosper Vanhuvaone, who posed as a medical practitioner and defrauded patients before being arrested.

The combination of administrative lapses and fraud has raised alarm over patient safety and institutional accountability at one of Zimbabwe’s largest referral hospitals, which serves Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands, Masvingo, and Bulawayo.