Urologists Dr. Metcalfe, Dr. Lee, Dr. McAuley, Dr. McCracken and Dr. Hosier with the da Vinci robot surgical system coming to Royal Jubilee Hospital. Credit: Victoria Hospitals Foundation.
Provincial posted Oct 30, 2024 @ 01:30pm by Megan Trudeau
The Victoria Hospitals Foundation (VHF) is aiming to fundraise millions of dollars in order to bring robotics surgery technology to two local hospitals.
VHF says it is committing its largest investment into Royal Jubilee (RJH) and Victoria General (VGH) hospitals through the launch of a multi-phase campaign, “It’s Time.”
The first phase, dubbed “It’s Time for Surgical Innovation,” will raise $17 million to bring brand-new minimally invasive surgical procedures to the Island, starting with robotics.
VHF has received a $2.2 million commitment from the Jawl Foundation to support bringing the first surgical robot to Vancouver Island.
Island Health’s Division of Urology will be the first to use the robotics technology, with other surgical specialities to follow.
According to VHF, robotic-assisted surgeries will provide prostate cancer patients with 90% less chances of blood transfusions, 50% shorter stays in the recovery room, and 60% shorter stays in hospitals.
The new technology is also expected to support significant cost savings due to shorter lengths of stay and less complex post-surgical care.
The hospitals will also be getting a suite of innovative surgical equipment across five surgical specialities to advance minimally invasive surgical procedures.
“Robotics will dramatically enhance the proficiencies of Victoria surgeons through unparalleled accuracy, dexterity, and control during complex procedures,” VHF said.
Training and staging for implementation in the two hospitals is well-underway to operationalize the robotics system, which is expected to arrive in late 2024.
“Robotic surgery is becoming the standard worldwide for urologic surgery, and for many other specialities like otolaryngology (ENT) as well as general, gynecologic, and thoracic surgery. We have
taken innovation as far as we can locally, but robotics is key to take surgical innovation to the next level,” explains Dr. Jeff McCracken, Chief Urologist for RJH and VGH.
