It's Time For Surgical Transformation Campaign Logo
It's Time For Surgical Evolution Campaign Logo with a Sticker that reads "Campaign Complete! Thank You!"

Phases I & II innovated minimally invasive care. Phase III will now create the footprint for innovation to flourish at Royal Jubilee (RJH) and Victoria General (VGH) hospitals.

Together We Are Transforming Care

Join us for the third and final phase of our It’s Time campaign as we shape the future of tertiary care.

Together We Are Transforming Care

Join us for the third and final phase of our It’s Time campaign.

It's Time For Surgical Transformation Campaign Thermometer showing $7 million progress towards the $41 million goal
Dr. Vamshi Kotha performs an Interventional Radiology procedure in the IR suite at Royal Jubilee Hospital (RJH)

INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY

Wide-Ranging Precision Medicine ($17.6M)

You can establish one of Canada’s most comprehensive Interventional Radiology (IR) programs and create a new standard for image-guided complex care in both our hospitals. Often described as precision medicine or tech medicine, IR is one of the fastest-growing and most transformative fields in modern healthcare.

Using advanced, real-time imaging, our Interventional Radiologists diagnose and treat disease from inside the body, guiding tiny instruments through millimetre-sized access points rather than large surgical incisions. Procedures that once required major surgery, lengthy recovery, and days in hospital can now often be performed as same-day, minimally invasive interventions—allowing patients to return home within hours, with little more than a bandage.

Victoria already delivers one of Canada’s most diverse and clinically advanced IR programs—one that consistently exceeds expectations in both capability and innovation. Your support in Phase III will provide the capacity and modern infrastructure this exceptional program needs to meet growing demand. By funding two new IR Suites, and modernizing our current two suites, you will double the Island’s capacity to deliver highly specialized, image-guided care. And by creating designated recovery spaces for IR patients, you will help to free up valuable in-patient beds for those who really need them, further decompressing our hospital system.

HYBRID OPERATING ROOMS

Two Firsts For Vancouver Island ($25.4M)

You are invited to help build the first two Hybrid ORs on our Island, bringing the power of imaging into the surgical environment to elevate local cardiac and vascular surgery.

Today, imaging, intervention, and surgery occur in separate locations across our hospitals. A patient requiring multiple procedures may need to be transported to imaging in between—increasing time, risk, anesthesia, and complexity at moments when every second matters. In contrast, in a Hybrid OR, real-time imaging, minimally invasive intervention, and full surgical capability come together in one purpose-built environment, allowing teams to see more clearly, act more decisively, and adapt immediately as a complex procedure unfolds.

The result is faster treatment, greater precision, fewer transfers between departments, and improved outcomes for patients whose conditions demand the highest level of care. For our hospitals, Hybrid ORs will strengthen capacity, improve efficiency, and create the infrastructure required for the future of advanced medicine on Vancouver Island. These net-new suites are the first new operating rooms in our hospitals since 2003, representing a significant boost in surgical capacity for Island patients.

Our Progress So Far

Our Progress So Far

YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED. THE TIME IS NOW.

  • Cancer Care

    Advanced tools in the IR suite, such as NanoKnife technology, allow tumours to be eliminated without traditional surgery at all, using ultra-precise energy to eliminate cancer cells while sparing healthy structures. Procedures that once required admission to hospital can increasingly be performed through minimally invasive approaches that allow patients to return home the same day.

  • Cardiac Care

    Hybrid ORs will support increasingly sophisticated procedures, including pacemaker implantation, lead extraction, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), and minimally invasive cardiac surgery. These procedures allow patients to access highly specialized treatment and will reduce pressure on other clinical areas at RJH, including the Heart Catheterization Lab.

  • Stroke Care

    Through Interventional Radiology, Phase III projects a 50% reduction in stroke response times for our region, saving critical brain function when every second counts. Hybrid ORs will support innovative procedures such as TCAR, an advanced technique designed to reduce stroke risk. Victoria is uniquely positioned to lead this work, with one of only four surgeons in Canada qualified to perform this groundbreaking procedure.

  • Vascular Care

    Hybrid ORs will advance procedures for life-threatening conditions involving the body’s most fragile blood vessels, where real-time imaging and immediate surgical capability are critical. This integrated environment will strengthen Victoria’s leadership in vascular surgery and improve outcomes for patients facing high-risk vascular disease.

Our hospitals are home to top surgeons and leading-edge procedures. Together we are providing our care teams with the tools to innovate even further.

"Evolution Happens Here"

Our hospitals are home to top surgeons and leading-edge procedures. Across all surgical specialties, our surgeons are constantly striving to optimize the care they provide for their patients.

With a neurosurgical robot, VGH is poised to become a national leader in neurosurgery. We will be one of only a few centres in Canada with this advanced technology. Robotic neurosurgery offers 99.6% accuracy for brain & spine procedures, where one millimetre can mean the difference between independence and life-long disability, resulting in six times fewer complications than current methods.

Our hospitals are some of the highest volume centres in the province for the treatment of breast, colorectal, gastric, liver, gallbladder, and pancreatic cancers. Thanks to the drive of our general surgeons, we were one of the first centres in western Canada to offer minimally invasive colorectal surgery. Now with the introduction of surgical robotics, we have become national leaders in this field, training colorectal surgeons from across Canada.

Women’s health was the first to specialize in minimally invasive surgery. At VGH, the gynecology program has grown from five specialists to 17, including many subspecialists, meaning all Island gynecology patients can receive care here at home, rather than having to travel to the Mainland. Surgical robotics will provide much more precise and gentler care for patients facing uterine and endometrial cancers, and offering a surgical option for some women would previously did not have one on the Island.

Our ENT (ear, nose, throat) surgeons are excited for the introduction of surgical robotics. This technology will enable new-to-the-Island minimally invasive procedures that previously required cutting into the jaw, leaving patients with permanent scarring, and difficulties in eating, speaking and swallowing. This will significantly reduce recovery times, helping to relieve pressure on our hospitals and improve quality of life for ENT patients. Robotic surgery will also allow our ENT surgeons to remove tumours from otherwise inaccessible anatomical spaces with minimal scarring.

Our urologists have been at the forefront of advocating for surgical robotics. Already, hundreds of urology patients have undergone robotic-assisted surgery and the results have been staggering. Patients who previously would have needed to stay in hospital for 3-5 days are able to be discharged in under 24 hours with reduced complications and pain. There has yet to be a single robotic urology patient that has needed re-admittance in our Victoria hospitals. Robotic surgery is providing incredible benefits for our patients’ care, our surgeons’ peace of mind, and our hospitals’ capacity.

Minimally invasive care is especially important for our smallest patients. At VGH, the Island’s referral centre for pediatrics, surgical robotics and advanced oncology equipment will allow our surgeons to operate accurately in tight anatomical areas for children and teens facing difficult health challenges so they can get back to being kids as quickly as possible.

Discover Local Surgical Stories

Discover Local Surgical Stories

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