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City Hall and Federal Government inaugurate Regional Emergency Center at Cardoso Fontes Hospital
Published on 15/02/2026 - 14:31 | Updated
The hospital expanded its services to the population, reaching a bed occupancy rate of 98% by 2025 - Fabio Motta/Rio City Hall The mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, participated, alongside the President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, this Sunday (February 15th), in the inauguration of the Regional Emergency Center (CER) at the Cardoso Fontes Hospital, in Jacarepaguá, in the Southwest Zone. The opening is another step in the restructuring process of the unit, a result of the partnership between the Municipal Health Secretariat (SMS) and the Ministry of Health, initiated in December 2024, with total investments of R$ 114,4 million. Since the municipality assumed management of the federal unit, the hospital has expanded its services to the population, reaching a bed occupancy rate of 98% in 2025, compared to 63% in the previous year.
"Nothing is more important than what we are doing here today. Federal hospitals have been the subject of controversy for years regarding their management. In the past, a botched municipalization process ended up generating an even greater crisis. A year ago, we signed the municipalization agreement for two federal hospitals, Cardoso Fontes and Andaraí, and the Federal Government guaranteed, unlike the municipalization in the past, the full funding of these two units. With this, we ensure that the population receives dignified care, with respect and quality," emphasized Eduardo Paes, accompanied by the vice-mayor Eduardo Cavaliere.
The Jacarepaguá Emergency Care Center (CER) is located on the ground floor of the Cardoso Fontes Hospital. With air conditioning, the space has eight consulting rooms, five for adult care in the specialties of internal medicine, general surgery, and urology, and three for pediatric emergencies. The unit also has six triage rooms, stabilization rooms, an adult hypodermic room with ten chairs and two stretchers, and a pediatric room with six chairs and one stretcher, as well as spaces for performing examinations such as ultrasound and electrocardiograms, and for collecting laboratory samples.
"What we are doing today is delivering dignity and decency to the Brazilian people. Anyone passing by outside might think this is a private hospital, and that only those who can pay can enter. This is a public hospital, operating under an agreement between the Federal Government and the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, with money from both. Anyone, no matter how humble, will be treated here with respect and dignity and will have access to the best we can offer," stated President Lula.
The Rio de Janeiro City Hall administration made it possible to reopen beds and services that had been inoperative for years at Cardoso Fontes Hospital, in addition to hiring new professionals. The pediatric ICU reopened with ten beds, three operating rooms were reactivated, and the clinical ward was expanded from 27 to 60 beds, increasing the availability of medium and high complexity hospitalizations. The beds were air-conditioned, and two CT scanners were installed, one of which is equipped to treat obese patients. With 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; the number of imaging exams, from 21.926 to 40.411; and the number of laboratory tests, from 594.099 to 619.976.
Before the municipal administration took over, the emergency room at Cardoso Fontes Hospital operated in precarious conditions and recorded 8.990 emergency room visits throughout 2024. Soon after assuming management, the Municipal Health Department renovated the emergency room, initially in temporary facilities, immediately expanding its capacity. As a result, in 2025, emergency room visits reached 17.142.
– This partnership with the Federal Government fills us with pride. We believe in building a strong Unified Health System. We always hope to do more, that we can deliver more and more – said the municipal Secretary of Health, Daniel Soranz.
Work on the patient care areas, the new kitchen, and the landscaping of the external area is ongoing. Modernization work on the imaging center is also underway. The complete restructuring of the hospital is scheduled for the first half of 2026.
"This emergency center opens tonight and will never close again. What we are doing is not just the inauguration of this emergency center, which is so important for Rio de Janeiro. In practice, we are taking stock of a year of this partnership built between the Federal Government and the City Hall of Rio. Here, we are delivering a new Cardoso Fontes Hospital," declared the Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha.
Cardoso Fontes Hospital is a leading provider of medium and high complexity services in the Southwest Zone of the city, with a focus on oncology, gynecology, urology, and nephrology, including treatments for kidney failure. Its dental service, geared towards patients requiring special care, is also a key reference point within the state's Unified Health System (SUS).
Regional Emergency Center
Regional emergency centers operate 24 hours a day and are integrated with large municipal hospitals, attending to less complex cases. These units provide initial assessment, emergency care, examinations, and, according to clinical need, manage and transfer patients to specialized units. Regional emergency centers are the model for emergency care in the city's hospitals, and with the addition of the Jacarepaguá Regional Emergency Center, there are now nine regional emergency centers in the city.
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