Rio de Janeiro City Hall inaugurates new Imaging Center at Cardoso Fontes Hospital.

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere inaugurated the new Imaging Center at Cardoso Fontes Hospital in Jacarepaguá this Wednesday (March 25). Equipped with modern equipment and cutting-edge technology, including a CT scanner for obese patients, the unit will now have the capacity to perform approximately 21,000 imaging exams per year, serving not only internal demand but also patients referred through the Regulation System (SISREG). This opening is another step in the total restructuring of the unit, a result of the partnership between the Municipal Health Secretariat (SMS) and the Ministry of Health, initiated in December 2024.

"When we came here before making the agreement with the Federal Government, the beds didn't even have air conditioning, there was no climate control, the operation was very limited. Now we have the hospital operating at full capacity, serving the population not only from the Jacarepaguá region, but from the entire city. Today we are taking another step by inaugurating the Imaging Center within Cardoso Fontes, allowing it to function as a hospital, but also as a center for specialties," said Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere.

The new Imaging Center occupies an area of ​​630 square meters on the ground floor of the Inpatient Unit, one of the blocks of the hospital complex. The space has equipment for performing X-ray, panoramic X-ray, ultrasound, bone densitometry, mammography, and computed tomography scans. The unit has two CT scanners, one of which has the capacity to accommodate obese patients weighing up to 315 kg. It is estimated that approximately 1.800 imaging exams will be performed per month at the center.

"This equipment is part of the comprehensive care for obese people and the planning we've had since the introduction of new drugs and medications, but also to ensure that obesity care is provided comprehensively, including during hospital stays. So the goal is to guarantee access at all levels of care, with state-of-the-art equipment," stated the Secretary of Health, Daniel Soranz.

Since the Rio de Janeiro City Hall took over the management of Cardoso Fontes Hospital, it has been expanding its services to the population, reaching a bed occupancy rate of 98% by 2025, compared to 63% recorded the previous year. In February of this year, the unit inaugurated the CER Jacarepaguá (the new emergency room), with state-of-the-art facilities, a fully air-conditioned environment, and eight pediatric and adult consulting rooms in the specialties of internal medicine, general surgery, and urology.

The management of the Municipal Health Department also enabled the reopening of beds and services that had been inoperative for several years, in addition to the hiring of new professionals. The pediatric ICU, with ten beds, was reopened, three operating rooms were reactivated, and the clinical ward was expanded from 27 to 60 beds, expanding the availability of medium and high complexity hospitalizations. The beds were air-conditioned and new equipment was installed. With all these improvements, from 2024 to 2025, the number of hospitalizations increased from 4.714 to 6.612; the number of surgeries, from 2.614 to 3.531; and the number of laboratory tests, from 594.099 to 619.976. Even before the new Imaging Center facilities, the number of these exams at the unit had already increased from 21.926 in 2024 to 40.411 in 2025.

Work on the customer service areas, the new kitchen, and the landscaping of the outdoor area is ongoing. The complete restructuring is scheduled for completion in the first half of 2026.

Cardoso Fontes Hospital is a leading provider of medium and high complexity services in the Southwest Zone of the city. The unit stands out for its work in oncology, gynecology, urology, and nephrology, including treatments for kidney failure. Furthermore, its dental service, geared towards patients requiring special care, is one of the main benchmarks of the Unified Health System in the state.

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March 25th, 2026

Appointments: Image Center Cardoso Fontes Hospital Jacarepagua sisreg