$43-million campaign to transform surgical care at Victoria hospitals

New hybrid operating rooms and expanded interventional radiology services will advance minimally invasive treatment and specialized care on Vancouver Island.

A major investment in surgical infrastructure and medical technology is poised to transform the delivery of specialized healthcare on Vancouver Island.

The Victoria Hospitals Foundation has launched a $43-million fundraising campaign to expand surgical and interventional radiology capabilities at Royal Jubilee Hospital and Victoria General Hospital in British Columbia.

The initiative, It’s Time for Surgical Transformation, represents the third and final phase of the foundation’s multi-year campaign to modernize hospital facilities, introduce advanced medical technologies and improve access to specialized treatment.

The project comes as Vancouver Island faces growing demand for healthcare services, driven in part by an aging population. The number of residents aged 85 and older is projected to more than double over the next two decades.

Bringing hybrid operating rooms to Vancouver Island

A central component of the campaign is a proposed $25.4-million investment in two hybrid operating rooms at Royal Jubilee Hospital.

These will be Vancouver Island’s first hybrid operating rooms and the first additional operating rooms at Victoria’s hospitals in more than 23 years.

Hybrid operating rooms integrate advanced medical imaging with conventional surgical capabilities, allowing physicians to perform complex procedures in a single clinical environment.

The technology enables surgical teams to visualize anatomy in real time, perform image-guided interventions and undertake open surgical procedures without transferring patients between different treatment areas.

For patients with complex cardiovascular and vascular conditions, this integrated approach can provide greater flexibility during treatment, particularly when minimally invasive procedures and traditional surgical techniques are required during the same operation.

The new facilities will support advanced procedures such as aortic aneurysm repair, vascular reconstruction and interventions aimed at reducing stroke risk.

They will also provide an environment where multidisciplinary teams, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, imaging technologists and perfusionists, can work together during complex procedures.

Doubling interventional radiology capacity

The campaign also includes a $17.6-million investment in interventional radiology services at Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals.

Plans include the construction of two new interventional radiology suites, upgrades to two existing suites and the addition of dedicated patient recovery areas.

The expansion is expected to double interventional radiology capacity across the two hospitals.

Interventional radiology uses medical imaging to guide specialized instruments through small openings in the body, offering alternatives to traditional open surgery for a range of conditions.

These techniques can be used to remove blood clots associated with stroke, control internal bleeding, restore blood flow and treat certain cancers.

For appropriately selected patients, minimally invasive procedures can reduce the physical impact of treatment and support shorter recovery times.

Additional interventional radiology capacity may also help relieve pressure on conventional operating rooms, allowing surgical resources to be directed toward patients who require more extensive procedures.

Having two suites at each hospital will provide greater flexibility when multiple patients require urgent image-guided treatment.

Building on advances in surgical technology

The initiative builds on earlier investments that have already introduced new surgical capabilities to Vancouver Island.

The first two phases of the foundation’s campaign raised $38 million, supporting robotic-assisted surgery, advanced oncology equipment and other specialized medical technologies.

Royal Jubilee Hospital and Victoria General Hospital have also been advancing image-guided treatment options, including the use of NanoKnife technology for selected patients with early-stage prostate cancer.

The latest phase shifts the focus toward the physical infrastructure needed to support increasingly sophisticated medical technologies.

As surgical robotics, advanced imaging and minimally invasive techniques continue to evolve, hospitals must adapt their facilities to accommodate new equipment, multidisciplinary workflows and changing clinical requirements.

Community investment supports the next generation of care

The $43-million campaign was officially launched on November 3, with $8.2 million already committed.

On November 6, the Victoria Hospitals Foundation announced an additional $3-million leadership gift from the Robert and Devi Jawl Foundation, bringing the amount secured to $11.7 million.

The foundation’s goal is to expand local treatment options, strengthen specialized healthcare capacity and provide clinical teams with the facilities needed to deliver increasingly complex care.

For Vancouver Island patients, the proposed investments could mean greater access to advanced surgical and interventional procedures closer to home.

For Canadian hospitals more broadly, the initiative highlights the growing importance of integrating medical technology with purpose-built clinical infrastructure as healthcare systems respond to rising demand for specialized care.

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