An Austrian health authority has been instructed to pay €90,000 in damages over the confusion of two babies almost three decades ago, according to The Guardian.

Doris Gruenwald, 27, discovered by way of a routine blood test at the age of 22 that she was not biologically related to those she believed to be her parents. 

Last year, she told the Krone Daily: “My whole body started shaking... It was like the ground under my feet disappeared.”

University Hospital Graz was reluctant to accept that the mix-up had occurred on their premises. However, this suggestion was rejected by the court.

The court ruled that the mistake must have taken place within the 20 hours after the birth, during which the mother was recovering from a cesarean section before being given the child. 

My whole body started shaking... It was like the ground under my feet disappeared.

It was concluded that "gross neglience" took place and €30,000 worth of damages were given to Doris and Evelin Gruenwald plus her husband, as well as the costs from the couple adopting her.

Within the last year, the hospital has been offering free DNA tests to the 200 women born in the hospital at around the same time as Doris.

However, only about 30 women have taken the test so far and no matches have been detected.

Doris is yet to find out who her biological parents are and the other victim is still unaware that the mix-up occurred.

The local health authority has said that it plans to appeal against the ruling, insisting that the court has failed to establish that the babies were switched at birth.