Vancouver General Hospital has received a $60 million donation from the Dilawri Foundation for a new cardiovascular institute.Of that, $35 million will go towards the construction of a tower on Oak St. and 12 Ave., with the remaining $25 million set to be injected into an "unprecedented" Innovation Fund.."This is a truly historic moment for health care philanthropy in Canada," VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation President and CEO Angela Chapman said. "The Dilawri Foundation's extraordinary generosity will help Vancouver and British Columbia attract and retain world-leading clinicians and researchers from Canada and around the globe."She went on to explain with the funds "will allow the talented specialists at VGH to accelerate discoveries and translate them into better patient care and outcomes for the people of British Columbia and beyond.".The Dilawri Cardiovascular Institute will be lead by current Head of Cardiology at VGH and UBC Hospital, Dr. David Wood."Our clinicians and researchers are focused on using new technology and discoveries to improve access to care, shorten wait times, improve outcomes, and decrease recovery times," he said. "We have already taught centres throughout North America and around the globe how to replace heart valves in under 30 minutes so patients can go home the same day, or how to treat heart rhythm problems sooner — long before any cardiac damage becomes permanent."Wood added that he hopes the aforementioned Innovation Fund will help VGH "become one of the leading cardiovascular institutes in the world.".Kap Dilawri, co-founder of both the Dilawri Foundation and the Dilawri Group, said his family had been "deeply moved by the incredible care, expertise, and compassion [they've] received from the team at Vancouver General Hospital," and expressed hope that the new institute "will have a profound and lasting impact on patients, families, and communities — not only in Vancouver but also globally."His sentiments were echoed by his brother and fellow co-founder, Ajay Dilawri."For our family, this is about bringing our values of compassion and community to life through meaningful investments that allow us to give back in a lasting way," he said. "We're honoured to support the exceptional team at Vancouver General Hospital."
