VGH the first hospital in Canada to implement KIRO Oncology chemotherapy robots

This year, over 30,000 people in BC will be newly diagnosed with cancer. Driven by population growth, ageing, and risk factors like smoking, alcohol use, obesity, and air pollution, demand for care will grow with each diagnosis. 

But at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), health care innovation is helping the system respond. VGH is the first hospital in Canada to implement KIRO Oncology chemotherapy robots — and it’s changing how care is delivered, right now. 

Funded by VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation’s Greater Than Cancer campaign, the robotic system is already improving timely access to life-saving cancer therapies. 

This isn’t about machines replacing people. It’s about giving people cutting-edge tools that improve safety, accuracy and efficiency today and in the years ahead. 

“We know that we have a large workload coming to us,” says Dr. Nilu Partovi, Director of Pharmacy Services at VGH. “Cancer treatment is advancing every day and we’re getting more and more drugs. So, it’s important that we can deliver those drugs in the safest and most accurate way possible. That’s what this system allows us to do.” 

Inside VGH’s KIRO Oncology robotics system

Using dual robotic-arm technology, the KIRO Oncology system automates the compounding of chemotherapy drugs in VGH’s pharmacy. Each step is verified using barcode technology to ensure accuracy and consistency.  

The robots can prepare up to 12 medications at a time and are designed for high-volume use. At full capacity, combined with manual compounding, they’ll support the preparation of approximately 26,600 intravenous chemotherapy doses each year. 

For staff, the robots reduce exposure to hazardous drugs and create a safer workplace. 

For patients, they help ensure life-saving treatment is ready when it’s needed. 

“If we’re able to compound the medications more efficiently and faster, that means more patients will be able to receive the cancer care that they need,” says Jason Park, Pharmacy Supervisor at VGH. 

With two KIRO Oncology robots in operation, chemotherapy preparation speed will increase by up to 30%, helping streamline pharmacy workflows as demand for care grows. 

Currently, the robots primarily prepare chemotherapy for patients in VGH’s Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplant Program — the only adult program of its kind serving all of British Columbia and the Yukon.  

By increasing capacity and reliability, the KIRO Oncology robots help ensure patients receive the right care at the right time. 

Better cancer care, supported by philanthropy

Philanthropy plays a critical role in bringing advanced technologies like the KIRO Oncology robots into clinical practice.  

“Without the power of philanthropy, we would not be able to make this possible,” says Park. 

Through donor support, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation’s Greater Than Cancer campaign raised more than $39 million to advance cancer care and research at VGH. And the impact is already being felt across each stage of the patient journey. 

This includes the modernization of the Anatomical Pathology Lab, accelerating the adoption of robotics to expedite the diagnostic process, and a first-in-BC Hematology Research Unit, giving new hope to patients with treatment-resistant blood cancers who previously had few options. 

As one of the largest and most specialized hospitals in BC, VGH diagnoses and treats the province’s most complex cancer cases, including complex spine, brain, gynecologic, ocular, and abdominal tumours. More than 50% of cancer patients are referred to VGH from outside Vancouver Coastal Health for subspecialized care they can’t get anywhere else. 

Learn more about VGH’s role in the fight against cancer.