A former Health Minister, Alex Segbefia has called for more investment and education on cancer of the blood disease, leukemia to help eliminate stigma and support victims.

Leukaemia is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. In December last year, the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) recorded a rise in the case of Ghanaian children.

Speaking at the launch of a book on leukemia, Alex Segbefia said creating awareness and massive education on the disease is one of the surest ways to manage the disease which is killing many in the country.

“There is some stigma attached to some cancers, but in actual fact, not infectious diseases but people shy away because it’s almost as if this person is cursed, and that for me is key.

“So education is very important and then making sure that we invest and then train our people properly.”

“Dying Many Times, The struggles” is a book that tells the story of a young mother, wife and student whose dreams were prematurely terminated by Leukemia.

The book was authored by Corporate Communications Practitioner, Benjamin Akyena Brantuo with the aim of improving education about the disease and some feedback to health professionals.

Mr Brantuo, in the book, also recommended setting up a fund to support people living with cancer.

However, Mr Segbefia noted that the suggestion put in the book about setting up a fund is just a starting point as cancer entails more than just Leukemia.

 “There is much illness that people do not know about. If you say Fistula, people don’t know what it is, if you are not the lady who suffers or has gone through pregnancy, you would not know that even there is such a difficulty,” he noted.

“It exists so you have to find ways of dealing with different illnesses, you can’t know everything if you are not in the medical field,” he added.