From The Case Of Exchanged Babies In Bogor: Getting To Know More About DNA Tests

Sentosa Hospital can be charged with criminal charges due to negligence in the case of an exchange of babies. (Special)

JAKARTA - News about a baby being swapped in Bogor stole the public's attention. This case began with a mother on behalf of Siti Mauliah (37) from Ciseeng, Bogor Regency, admitting that her baby boy was swapped after giving birth at the hospital on July 18, 2022. Siti Mauliah felt an irregularity when she was still at Sentosa Hospital, Bogor, where she gave birth to her fourth child by caesarean surgery.

Not only relying on the feeling of a mother, Siti Mauliah is also increasingly convinced that her son is swapped because the circular identity bracelet in his baby turns out to be on behalf of another patient, not him. After one year Siti struggled to confirm the truth of her biological child, including the rejection of DNA tests from other mothers, she was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. DNA test results stated that 99.99 percent were swapped.

"It was found that a 99.99 percent fix was based on data provided by the Kapuslabfor represented by him that the child was indeed swapped," said Bogor Police Chief AKBP Rio Wahyu Anggoro at a press conference in Bogor, Friday (25/8/2023).

The case of a baby being swapped in Bogor Regency has become public attention. This case is claimed to have first occurred in Indonesia.

"This is the first incident in the Republic of Indonesia, so we are trying to resolve this beyond the investigation reported by Mrs. S against Mrs. D," Rio Wahyu explained.

Along with the hectic cases of babies swapping in Bogor, discussions about DNA are also widely discussed. Is DNA testing only done to prove lineage? The answer is no.

Although the problem of the exchanged baby is stated to be over, the stages of returning the two babies to their respective parents take time. There is a psychological impact that must be maintained. Not only the two babies, but also the two biological parents. Moreover, one of the parents is also known to have waited quite a long time to get their first child.

"Children, unlike the property we imagine, need a stage of approximately one month. Hopefully this one month the interaction of two families will become a family that will work together in the future, we hope that with this incident, the friendship will become a big family," said Deputy Chairperson of KPAI, Jasra Putra.

After being proven through a DNA test that their baby was swapped, the victim planned to take legal action to Sentosa Hospital. According to Siti Mauliah's attorney, Rusydiansyah Nur Ridho, the hospital has been proven to have made a fatal mistake by making the baby swapped for up to a year.

Criminal law observer Farizal Pranata Bahri said the victim could take legal action to prosecute the hospital, in accordance with Law Number 44 Article 46 of 2009 which states, "Hospitals are legally responsible for all losses caused by negligence committed by health workers at the hospital."

"Hospitals can be prosecuted criminally. It must be seen whether the hospital or the midwife or the midwife has committed negligence. If proven, civil charges can be made asking for material compensation from the victim to the hospital," Farizal explained to VOI.

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) is a molecule that carries genetic information for the development and function of organisms, the National Human Genome Research Institute quoted. Swiss biochemist Frederich Miescher, who first observed DNA in the late 1800s. However, nearly a century passed since the discovery until researchers revealed the molecular structure of DNA and realized its importance for biology.

The importance of DNA became clear in 1953 thanks to the works of James Watson, Francis Maurice, and Blind Franklin. By studying the X-ray diffraction pattern scientists discovered the double helical structure of DNA, a structure that allows it to bring biological information from generation to generation.

For most people, this DNA test is done only to find out the lineage. Moreover, the fuss about DNA tests is not the only time this has happened. The push for DNA tests to prove lineages is also being discussed among celebrities.

This happened after Denny Sumargo was again asked to do a DNA test by DJ Verny Hasan. Previously, this former national basketball player had also conducted DNA tests in 2019 to prove whether he was the biological father of a child born to Verny Hasan and the results did not match.

Actually, DNA tests have far greater benefits than that, in terms of health and for the purposes of forensic testing. For couples who plan pregnancy through a IVF program or a partner who is at risk of having children with genetic disorders, they can perform DNA tests as a preimplantation test.

DNA tests can also be performed to detect mutations or genetic disorders in fetal chromodynamics. Another benefit of DNA testing is to find out if a person has a specific gene or condition that may be passed down to his children.

Not only related to health, DNA tests also have a big role in forensic tests. A series of DNA tests are used to identify a person for legal purposes. Several examples of DNA tests carried out on forensic tests are blood tests to determine the victim's blood or perpetrators of violations of the law, fingerprints, and the process of identifying body parts of the victim of the crime.

Everyone has a unique DNA profile so it's very useful to identify the people involved in a crime. The only exceptions to this are identical twins," the Science Learning Hub said.

DNA profile results can be used in court, for example samples collected from the crime scene may match the suspect's DNA. This could be evidence that the suspect was present at the crime scene, but that does not mean that it is the sole evidence that the suspect committed the crime.

In forensic tests, DNA tests are also carried out in certain events such as fires or plane accidents. DNA tests are carried out by taking blood samples or body tissues, such as skin or hair. Most samples use blood from blood vessels, but some take advantage of saliva samples.

Most recently, DNA tests were also used to prove the deaths of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency reported on August 27. Prigozhin and Herdingin were among private jet passengers who crashed on Oblast Tver on August 23.