City Hall reopens more sectors of Andaraí Hospital that underwent renovations

The third-floor outpatient clinic and the 10th-floor infirmary were completely renovated and modernized - Beth Santos/City of Rio

Rio de Janeiro City Hall reopened two essential sectors that had been closed for many years at Andaraí Hospital this Thursday (September 18th). The third-floor outpatient clinic and the 9th-floor ward were completely renovated and modernized by the Municipal Health Department (SMS), which took over management of the unit in December 10 and has since carried out several structural works to reopen important health services to the population.

"We must celebrate this moment. A hospital that spent a long time in an absolutely degrading state, with its service delivery failing and poorly serving the population. We are inaugurating an outpatient clinic that was 14 years under construction. Gradually, we are opening new services. The goal is to have all the construction completed by the first quarter of next year, with the hospital operating at full capacity," stated Mayor Eduardo Paes, who also highlighted the importance of the partnership between Rio de Janeiro City Hall and the Federal Government in resuming hospital services.

The third floor, which had been halted for 14 years, is now operational again with the capacity to serve an average of 450 patients per day, Monday through Friday. There will be 21 consulting rooms specializing in ostomy, gynecology, plastic surgery, breast surgery, proctology, urology, cardiology, dermatology, and gastroenterology.

During its closure, the third-floor outpatient clinic missed approximately 1,6 million appointments. Now, the population can once again rely on an essential service for consultations and follow-up in specialties, which will relieve pressure on the city's Unified Health System (SUS) network and expand access to quality care.

The 10th-floor ward, which was closed for 21 years, will reopen with 23 inpatient beds. Considering the average hospital stay of seven days, it is estimated that over that period, more than 25 patients could have been treated there. The ward's reopening represents a crucial reinforcement of Rio de Janeiro's hospital capacity, especially at a time of high demand for clinical beds.

This progress was only possible thanks to the partnership between the Federal Government and the City of Rio. It is a concrete demonstration of how cooperation between spheres of government brings direct results for the population. The reopening of Andaraí Hospital reaffirms the commitment to ensuring a stronger, more humane, and efficient public healthcare network, ready to serve thousands of residents of Rio de Janeiro and the state of Rio de Janeiro.

"This is a very important outpatient clinic for the city, a project that has been halted for 14 years. Imagine what could have been accomplished in that time? The Rio de Janeiro City Hall, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, is renovating such an important hospital for the city. Every two weeks, we will have a new project delivered to this hospital. Today, we also delivered the 15th-floor ward, which had been closed for 10 years. These developments will bring many benefits to the population," said Municipal Health Secretary Daniel Soranz.

Since Rio de Janeiro City Hall took over management of the unit, the number of beds has been expanded from 150 to 270; the emergency room was reopened after being closed for several years; the CT scanner, which had been boxed up for over a year, was installed and began operating; the ICU was expanded from 10 to 15 beds; there was an increase in production, with a real benefit of approximately 3 new users; the Burn Treatment Center returned to full capacity with 14 beds; the radiotherapy service was initiated with the inauguration of the linear accelerator; among several other improvements.

The construction schedule also includes, by the first half of 2026, renovations to other wards, the surgical center, improvements to oncology services, modernization of imaging centers, the technology park, elevators and the kitchen, as well as the construction of a new trauma sector.