Board removes executive director of Puerto Rico's Cardiovascular Center amid labor crisis

The Board of Directors of the Cardiovascular Center of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean removed attorney Javier Marrero Marrero as the institution's executive director on the night of Thursday, September 10, a move that comes after months of employee protests over unmet collective bargaining commitments and leaves the country's main heart hospital without a permanent leader ¹².

The announcement was made Friday, September 11 by Dr. Víctor M. Ramos Otero, chairman of the Board and also Secretary of the Department of Health, who confirmed that "following a meeting held last night, the Board determined to remove attorney Javier Marrero Marrero, and he will no longer hold the position." Ramos Otero did not publicly detail the specific reasons for the dismissal, but said measures were taken to guarantee continuity of services and hospital operations while a new director is determined ¹².

Marrero had been at the hospital since 2015, first as associate administrator and deputy executive director, and was formally confirmed as executive director in February 2020 ². His departure comes as the institution faces a prolonged labor conflict: on September 3, roughly 360 unionized and managerial employees represented by the General Workers Union (UGT) protested outside the Río Piedras hospital demanding payment of outstanding wage differentials, restoration of benefits eliminated under Law 26-2017, and full implementation of the collective bargaining agreement signed in 2025 ⁴. UGT alleged at the time that $5.8 million allocated for salary adjustments had not been applied, and that employees saw their vacation days cut from 30 to 15 and viability bonuses eliminated ⁴.

UGT president Edwin Méndez confirmed the removal in a radio interview that same Friday and attributed it directly to the labor crisis and what he called poor administrative management, citing failures tied to the collective agreement and to Law 128-2020, which granted the Cardiovascular Center administrative and fiscal autonomy, exempting it from several general procurement, accounting, and human resources laws precisely to streamline its operations ³⁵. Méndez also alleged that a Christmas bonus clause, signed by a previous administrator and publicly documented, was later dismissed by the administration as an error during negotiation of the full agreement, and he called for an investigation into the Administrative Board's conduct during those negotiations ³.

The Puerto Rico Nursing Professionals Organization, through its president Juan Del Valle Figueroa, demanded that the Board publicly explain the reasons for the removal and clarify who will lead the hospital in the meantime ². As of this report, no successor had been named.

What it means for you

If you have a cardiac surgery, catheterization, or follow-up appointment scheduled at the Cardiovascular Center, the Board says services and operations continue normally despite the leadership change ². The hospital is the island's main referral center for complex cardiovascular procedures, so a prolonged disruption in its administration could affect appointment and surgery wait times if the labor conflict escalates. If you work at the institution, this is a key moment to check with your union representative on the status of the differential payments and benefits UGT is demanding ⁴.

How to handle it / Checklist

1. If you have an appointment or procedure scheduled at the Cardiovascular Center, confirm it by calling the hospital directly ahead of the date, especially during these weeks of administrative transition.
2. If you're a hospital employee, request a written update from Human Resources on the status of the $5.8 million allocated for salary adjustments.
3. Check with your union (UGT or another representative organization) whether your job classification was affected by the vacation-day cuts or elimination of viability bonuses under Law 26-2017.
4. If you need cardiovascular care and want to avoid possible disruption during the transition, ask your primary doctor about referral alternatives at hospitals such as Centro Médico or private institutions with cardiac programs.
5. Follow official statements from the Department of Health and the Cardiovascular Center itself at cardiovascular.pr.gov to find out who takes over as executive director.

What's next

The Board of Directors said it will announce "in due course" the next steps, including the appointment of an interim or permanent executive director ². UGT has insisted the protests will continue if the collective bargaining disputes aren't resolved, and its president has called for a formal investigation into the Administrative Board's handling of the negotiations ³⁴. In the coming days, the Department of Health and the Board are expected to offer more details on the reasons behind the removal and on how operational stability will be guaranteed at the country's only reference cardiovascular hospital.

Sources

¹ El Nuevo Día, "Destituyen a Javier Marrero de la dirección del Hospital Cardiovascular," https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/notas/destituyen-a-javier-marrero-de-la-direccion-del-hospital-cardiovascular/ ² Metro Puerto Rico, "Destituyen a Javier Marrero como director ejecutivo del Centro Cardiovascular," https://www.metro.pr/noticias/2026/09/11/destituyen-a-javier-marrero-como-director-ejecutivo-del-centro-cardiovascular ³ Radio Isla, "UGT confirma destitución del director del Hospital Cardiovascular," https://radioisla.tv/ugt-confirma-destitucion-del-director-del-hospital-cardiovascular/ ⁴ El Nuevo Día, "Empleados del hospital Cardiovascular protestan por justicia salarial y mejores condiciones laborales," https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/seguridad/notas/empleados-del-hospital-cardiovascular-protestan-por-justicia-salarial-y-mejores-condiciones-laborales/ ⁵ Microjuris al Día, "Autorizan mayor autonomía para Centro Cardiovascular y Centro Comprensivo de Cáncer," https://aldia.microjuris.com/2020/08/19/autorizan-mayor-autonomia-para-centro-cardiovascular-y-centro-comprensivo-de-cancer/