KKH-MUIS team wins top healthcare award for guiding Muslim couples from marriage to parenting

SINGAPORE – To address significant gaps in maternal and child health knowledge among young Muslim couples that were identified in a study, Project Achieving Resilient and Inspiring Families (ARIF) was launched in September 2020.

It is the region’s first programme to guide couples from marriage through preconception, pregnancy, childbirth, parenting and child health, integrating clinical maternal and child health support within faith-based marriage ecosystems.

On Sept 17, the team behind Project ARIF received the National Community Care Excellence Team Award at the National Medical Excellence Awards.

The project was started by a team from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), working with the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) and Temasek Foundation.

Suzanna Sulaiman, deputy chairman of the obstetrics and gynaecology division at KKH, said: “The impetus was not affordability. (Apart from the gaps), we also recognised that religion plays a central role in health decisions within the community, making mosques and marriage solemnisers natural entry points for preventive healthcare.”

From its launch to May 2026, Project ARIF has benefited over 12,000 individuals, including over 5,000 couples receiving education and support.

“Project ARIF is not only about supporting mothers. We support fathers too. (They) play an important role throughout the journey – from preparing for parenthood, supporting their wives during pregnancy and childbirth, to being actively involved in health and development of their children,” Suzanna said, adding that every family deserves the best possible start in life.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said at the award ceremony at the Conrad Singapore that the Project ARIF team looked beyond the walls of the hospital to ask a simple but important question: “What do patients and their families truly need?”

Ong, who is also the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, said Project ARIF recognised that health can be shaped by a person’s circumstances and community, more so than what happens in the clinic.

“Social prescribing has become a key tenet of our healthcare policy, supported by national programmes such as Healthier SG and Age Well SG... If the same spirit percolates throughout the healthcare system, we will be able to strengthen families, uplift communities, and contribute to the caring and compassionate society that we want to build together,” he said.

The National Medical Excellence Awards, the top national accolade for the healthcare sector in Singapore, honoured a total of seven clinicians and two teams in 2026.

Sengkang General Hospital chief executive officer Teo Eng Kiong received the National Outstanding Clinician Award for his work in gastroenterology and hepatology, and his leadership in advancing patient safety, medical education, and healthcare system transformation.

Teo, who has over 30 years’ experience, was part of a team that developed direct endoscopic necrosectomy, a technique that treats severe pancreatic infections without open surgery.

He also helped shaped Singapore’s national response to viral hepatitis, contributed to national hepatitis B virus treatment guidelines, and served on the National Hepatitis C Programme Steering Committee.

Speaking to The Straits Times, Teo said he was humbled and grateful for the award, which is “a reminder of the many seniors and mentors who generously shared their knowledge and experience with me throughout my career”.

“I hope to pay this forward by mentoring and supporting the next generation of healthcare professionals,” he added.

N. Gopalakrishna Iyer, who leads the department of head and neck surgery at the National Cancer Centre Singapore, took home the National Outstanding Clinician Scientist Award.

A key practice of his lab involves identifying patients who are exceptional responders to various therapies and learning more about the mechanisms behind their responses. This strategy has resulted in the development of new therapies.

One research he was involved in used a locally created, tissue-like, bioengineered hydrogel to preserve the lymph nodes for up to seven days outside the body, allowing the researchers to study how the immune system reacts to vaccines and immunotherapies.

Iyer told ST he was “lucky to be doing this at a time when research is highly valued, clinician-scientists are well supported and there is an amount of flexibility and agility that allows us to be nimble”.

“It is important that we do this kind of research because worldwide, head and neck cancer often receives limited funding because it is considered an Asian-prevalent cancer. Many current treatment breakthroughs, especially in immunotherapy and cell therapy, are expensive and out of reach for many patients in the region,” he said.

His goal is to develop new treatments at a lower cost, for everyone and “we want to succeed so that we can do even more to help the next patient who walks into the clinic with head and neck cancer”.

National Medical Excellence Awards 2026 recipients

National Outstanding Clinician Award
Teo Eng Kiong
Sengkang General Hospital (SingHealth)

National Outstanding Clinician Scientist Award
N. Gopalakrishna Iyer
National Cancer Centre Singapore (SingHealth)

Su Xinyi
National University Hospital (National University Health System)

National Outstanding Clinician Mentor Award
Terrance Chua Siang Jin
National Heart Centre Singapore (SingHealth)

Pang Weng Sun
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (NHG Health)

National Outstanding Clinician Educator Award
Nga Min En
National University Hospital (National University Health System)

Kevin Tan
National Neuroscience Institute (SingHealth)

National Clinical Excellence Team Award
One-STop Obstetric high RisK (STORK) Centre
KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (SingHealth)
Tan Lay Kok
Serene Thain Pei Ting
Tan Chuen Wen
Michelle Jong

National Community Care Excellence Team Award
Project Achieving Resilient and Inspiring Families (ARIF)
KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (SingHealth)
Suzanna Sulaiman
Nur Adila Ahmad Hatib
Siti Nurzakiah Zaran
Mohamad Helmy Mohamad Isa