More than 800 robotic surgeries performed at Victoria hospitals

The Victoria Hospitals Foundation has completed a $21-million fundraising campaign aimed at transforming surgical and cancer care at Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals.

The second phase of the ‘It’s Time’ campaign, called ‘It’s Time for Surgical Evolution,’ launched in October 2025 and received support from more than 4,700 donors.

Combined with the campaign’s first phase, the Foundation has now raised more than $38 million for surgical innovation in less than two years.

“This campaign has fundamentally changed the trajectory of surgical care on Vancouver Island,” said Avery Brohman, CEO of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation.

“What began as an ambitious vision has become a defining moment in the history of healthcare on Vancouver Island.”

The funding has helped bring the first three robotic surgical systems to Vancouver Island, including two da Vinci surgical robots and a Mazor X robotic system used in neurosurgery.

The first da Vinci system began operating at Royal Jubilee Hospital in February 2025. Two additional robotic platforms followed at Victoria General Hospital (VGH) in March this year.

Since then, surgical teams have completed more than 800 robotic procedures across seven medical specialties.

According to the Foundation, Victoria is now home to Western Canada’s first Robotic Centre of Excellence and one of the country’s most comprehensive multi-specialty robotic surgery programs.

Procedures that were previously available only at larger medical centres can now be performed on Vancouver Island, reducing the need for some patients to travel for care.

Minimally invasive robotic procedures can also help patients recover faster and return home sooner. In some cases, patients can leave the hospital the same day rather than spending three to five days recovering as an inpatient.

Local surgical teams have also achieved several milestones, including BC’s first robotic-assisted emergency surgery, BC’s first robotic colectomy and western Canada’s first collaborative robotic procedure involving the removal of multiple organs.

“There is a sense of energy among our surgical teams that is difficult to describe unless you have witnessed it firsthand,” said Dr. Jeff McCracken, chief urologist and head of robotics for Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals.

“Their support has empowered our teams to learn new techniques, adopt transformative technologies and continually push the boundaries of what is possible for patients.”

Beyond the three robotic systems, donors funded more than 100 physician-prioritized surgical and oncology technologies during the first two phases of the campaign.

Many of those technologies are already being used across the hospitals’ 30 operating rooms, supporting procedures that were not previously available locally and helping improve surgical precision.

The investment is also helping the hospitals recruit and retain medical professionals. Five new surgeons have joined Royal Jubilee and VGH as a direct result of the expanding surgical innovation program, according to the Foundation.

Funding has also supported additional training and teaching opportunities, improvements to operating room efficiency and efforts to reduce surgery cancellations.

Brohman said the progress demonstrates what can happen when philanthropy is closely connected to healthcare innovation.

“For many years, there was an assumption that the most advanced healthcare innovations would emerge only from Canada’s largest centres,” she said.

“Today, healthcare leaders are paying attention to what is happening on Vancouver Island and looking to our community as an example.”

While celebrating the completion of the $21-million campaign, the Foundation says it is preparing to announce the third and final phase of its ‘It’s Time’ campaign.

Further details about the final phase have not yet been released.