Vieques Finally Gets Its CT Scanner: Installation Within Days, Opening Targeted for September

After three years of missteps, a nearly million-dollar trailer parked in Bayamón, and a referral to the Department of Justice, Vieques finally has on its own soil the CT scanner it was promised. Health Secretary Víctor Ramos Otero confirmed this Thursday, August 27, that the new CT Scan has arrived at the island municipality's new Diagnostic and Treatment Center (CDT) and that installation will begin in the coming days, with the facility's inauguration being coordinated for the end of September ¹².

The equipment's arrival closes — at least partially — one of the most criticized chapters in recent public health management. In August 2023, under the previous administration, the Department of Health began purchasing a mobile CT unit for Vieques. The purchase order to Medical Outfitters PR, issued January 18, 2024, totaled $965,500, including $22,500 to transport and install the equipment on the island ³. But a measurement taken April 30, 2024 revealed the underlying problem: the available area in Vieques measured 59 feet and the trailer needed a minimum of 67 ³. The unit arrived at the port of San Juan on July 15, 2024 and ended up parked at Hospital Universitario Ramón Ruiz Arnau in Bayamón, where auditors found it with signs of exterior mold in August 2025 ³.

Comptroller Carmen Vega Fournier published report OC-27-20 last week and referred the case to the Department of Justice, noting that Health disbursed $772,400 — two installments of $386,200, 80% of the cost — for equipment that never served a single patient ²³. In April 2026, Ramos Otero had announced he negotiated a trade-in: returning the out-of-warranty machine in exchange for a new one valued at $825,000 ³⁴. That new unit is what arrived in Vieques this week ¹.

The secretary cautioned that the CT scanner will not enter service immediately: it still needs installation per manufacturer specifications, calibration, radiological safety inspections, and the corresponding authorizations ¹. "Equipment of this nature is not plugged in and used right away," he explained ¹.

The new CDT has advanced in stages: dialysis service has operated in the new facilities since October 2025, the Infrastructure Financing Authority (AFI) delivered the building to Health in December 2025, and the helipad obtained full Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accreditation in April 2026 ¹. The bid for clinical-area equipment was awarded to six vendors, who have 45 days to deliver; some of that equipment is already arriving ¹. The center's management contract received a single proposal, still under negotiation, and Health says its Field Medicine Unit is ready to run the emergency room if the contract is delayed ¹.

What it means for you

If you live in Vieques, a CT scan — the test that detects tumors, blood clots, internal bleeding, and infections — today requires crossing to the main island by ferry or small plane, with all the cost, time, and clinical risk that implies in an emergency ². With the CT scanner installed at the CDT, that diagnosis could happen in your own municipality, critical in strokes and trauma cases where every minute counts. The date to mark: late September 2026, when Health projects inaugurating the full facility ¹. In the meantime, the current CDT continues providing services and dialysis already operates in the new building ¹.

How to do it / Checklist

1. If you need a CT scan now, coordinate with your primary doctor for a referral to a center on the main island; the Vieques CT is not yet in service ¹.
2. For emergencies in Vieques, go to the CDT emergency room or call 9-1-1; the FAA-accredited helipad enables air transfers ¹.
3. Save the Department of Health's phone number for questions about available services: (787) 765-2929.
4. If you are a dialysis patient in Vieques, the service has operated in the new facilities since October 2025 ¹.
5. Watch for the official inauguration announcement in late September and the list of services opening with permits in hand ¹.

What's next

Installation, calibration, and inspections of the CT scanner will take place in the coming days, followed by radiological safety authorizations ¹. Health is coordinating the inauguration for late September ¹. Still pending: the negotiation with the sole bidder to manage the center, and the question Health has not answered — whether the trade-in of the old trailer involved additional public money ². The Comptroller's referral over the original purchase also remains in the hands of the Department of Justice ³.

Sources

¹ Puerto Rico Department of Health — Official press release, August 27, 2026 ² Primera Hora — "Finalmente, llega un CT Scan al CDT de Vieques", August 27, 2026 ³ NotiCel — "Contraloría refiere a Justicia compra de CT Scan para Vieques", August 19, 2026 ⁴ El Nuevo Día — "Secretario de Salud negocia un nuevo CT-Scan para hospital de Vieques", April 14, 2026