Project ARIF, Southeast Asia’s first initiative integrating maternal and child health support within faith-based marriage ecosystems, received the National Community Care Excellence Team Award at Singapore’s National Medical Excellence Awards on September 17, 2026, for guiding Muslim couples from marriage through parenting.
Bridging Faith and Preventive Healthcare in Maternal Support
Launched in September 2020, Project ARIF (Achieving Resilient and Inspiring Families) was developed to address significant gaps in maternal and child health knowledge among young Muslim couples identified during local studies. According to Suzanna Sulaiman, deputy chairman of the obstetrics and gynaecology division at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), the impetus for the programme was not financial affordability. Instead, the initiative recognized that religion plays a central role in health decisions within the community. This insight positioned mosques and marriage solemnisers as natural, trusted entry points for preventive healthcare delivery.
The collaborative project brings together KKH, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), and Temasek Foundation. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, speaking at the award ceremony held at the Conrad Singapore, highlighted that the team looked beyond traditional hospital walls to ask what patients and their families truly need. Ong noted that Project ARIF aligns with broader national healthcare policies such as Healthier SG and Age Well SG, demonstrating how social prescribing can strengthen family units and uplift communities.
In Plain English: The Clinical Takeaway
- Faith-Based Outreach: Integrating clinical education into religious and community spaces helps bridge knowledge gaps in maternal health before preconception.
- Paternal Inclusion: The programme actively engages fathers, recognizing their vital role in supporting maternal well-being and child development from pregnancy onward.
- Scalable Impact: Between its launch and May 2026, Project ARIF has successfully reached over 12,000 individuals, including more than 5,000 couples.
Expanding Support Across the Parental Journey
Project ARIF stands as Southeast Asia’s pioneer programme designed to guide couples through every stage of family formation, spanning marriage preparation, preconception planning, pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, and ongoing child health. Suzanna Sulaiman emphasized that the initiative extends well beyond supporting mothers alone. Fathers are incorporated as active participants throughout the journey, sharing responsibilities from prenatal preparation to monitoring early childhood developmental milestones.
The scale of the initiative reflects a coordinated public health effort.
| Metric / Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Launch Date | September 2020 |
| Core Partners | KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), Temasek Foundation |
| Reach (as of May 2026) | Over 12,000 individuals, including more than 5,000 couples |
| Award Recognition | National Community Care Excellence Team Award (National Medical Excellence Awards, 2026) |
Broader Recognition at the 2026 National Medical Excellence Awards
The National Medical Excellence Awards serve as the top national accolade for Singapore’s healthcare sector. The 2026 ceremony honored a total of seven clinicians and two teams. Alongside Project ARIF, other prominent leaders in regional medicine were recognized for transforming patient care and advancing clinical education.
Sengkang General Hospital chief executive officer Teo Eng Kiong received the National Outstanding Clinician Award for his three decades of work in gastroenterology, hepatology, and medical safety. Teo was part of the team that developed direct endoscopic necrosectomy, a technique treating severe pancreatic infections without open surgery, and helped shape national viral hepatitis treatment guidelines. Additionally, N. Gopalakrishna Iyer, head of the department of head and neck surgery at the National Cancer Centre Singapore, was honored for his contributions to surgical oncology.
Moving Forward in Community-Centric Care
References
- Singapore Ministry of Health. (2026). National Medical Excellence Awards Recipient Citations.
- KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. (2026). Project ARIF Impact Reports and Community Care Initiatives.
