The parents of a newborn infant returned home from hospital only to discover that they had been given the wrong baby.

Bosses at the hospital in Podgorica, capital of Montenegro (in Southeastern Europe) have launched an investigation into the incident and blamed the blunder on a nurse who reportedly did not follow procedures.

The parents left the hospital thinking they were taking home their baby girl but quickly realised something was wrong.

According to the report, the couple went back to the hospital after noticing that the mother and baby’s tag did not match.

In a statement, the hospital said the doctors and nurses who were on duty when the baby swap happened would face disciplinary measures.

A hospital statement said: “We would like to assure the public that all those responsible will be sanctioned.”

The director of the clinical centre, Zorica Beba Kovačević, said that there was no justification for the incident and that the investigation would aim to find out whether the infant had been swapped deliberately or by mistake.

She said the nurse in charge had been working at the hospital for 20 years and that the hospital management did not understand how such a mistake could have happened.

The nurse reportedly swapped the newborn with another infant after she failed to notice that the babies’ tags showed different numbers.

Local media reported that a criminal complaint was filed against the nurse and that Montenegro’s health minister, Kenan Hrapović, personally asked for the head of the maternity ward to be dismissed.

He apologised for the “unpleasantness” the family had experienced and added: “It is inconceivable that such failures occur in the 21st century.

“The burden of responsibility must be borne by everyone involved in the managing work at the ward and overseeing the implementation of the protocols,” he said.