A MUSLIM father has made a formal complaint to the NHS after claiming his daughter and niece were given flu vaccinations containing synthesised pork products without the family’s knowledge.

Mohammadda Shah said the contents of the nasal spray given to his daughter, Raghad, and niece, Aisha, at Peel Park Surgery only came to light when his brother, Shaeen, received a letter from his child’s school offering Muslim parents the opportunity to decline the treatment.

He said that by that point, the two children had already been given the spray by their GP without the same cautionary advice.

After speaking to the surgery, he said he was told the vaccination had now been discontinued, but said he wants an official apology and an investigation into how many other families may have been unwittingly affected in the same way.

“It seems as though the surgery just want to brush this under the carpet,” said Mr Shah.

“Pork within the Muslim faith cannot be consumed in any form and it strictly prohibited. They only stopped offering the treatment to Muslim families after we brought it to their attention. When I went into the surgery to discuss it, I was just fobbed off.

“The whole experience made us angry, we were very distressed that the children went through this process without our knowledge.

“There was no input from the surgery, nothing at all. I think hundreds of other families will have been affected in the same way without even realising it.

“For people of the Muslim faith, this is a very serious matter. The doctors must have known what the spray contained but it wasn’t brought to light.”

A spokesman for NHS England Yorkshire and the Humber said: “We can confirm we have received a complaint regarding a flu vaccination at Peel Park Surgery in Bradford.

“NHS England is committed to ensuring patients have access to high quality care and we take concerns seriously. We have been in contact with the patient and will feedback to them when the complaint has been fully looked into.”

A spokesman for the surgery added: “We are aware that a complaint has been made to NHS England about a flu vaccination carried out at the practice. While this matter is being looked into by NHS England it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”