IBM has announced the successful completion of a significant payroll modernisation project for SingHealth, Singapore’s largest public healthcare group. The project, led by IBM Consulting, involved migrating SingHealth’s payroll and custom applications from the legacy SAP ECC system to the more advanced SAP S/4HANA on a Private RISE model. This transition marks SingHealth, along with NHG Health, National University Health System (NUHS), and the Ministry of Health Holdings (MOHH), as the first public healthcare clusters in Singapore to adopt SAP Private RISE.
The migration was executed with a focus on maintaining uninterrupted payroll operations, a critical requirement given the stringent statutory obligations such as Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions and IRAS tax compliance. IBM Consulting, in partnership with SingHealth and payment processing partner 1FSS, ensured a secure migration path that adhered to risk and compliance requirements.
Key outcomes of the transformation include a seamless transition with zero disruption to payroll processing, reduced risk and audit exposure, and a future-ready architecture. The modernised infrastructure integrates with SingHealth’s HR and finance systems, reducing data failure risks and facilitating faster onboarding of new services. Additionally, the new system simplifies core architecture, reducing maintenance costs and adapting to regulatory changes.
Johnny Quah, DGCFO of SingHealth, expressed satisfaction with the transition, stating, “This collaboration with IBM Consulting, with the support of Synapxe, enabled us to upgrade our payroll infrastructure without any disruption to our operations.”
Abraham Thomas, Managing Partner of IBM Consulting, ASEAN, highlighted the resilience required by public healthcare institutions, noting that SingHealth’s experience demonstrates the feasibility of complex migrations without operational interruptions.
