BECE candidates must eat properly before going to centres – Dr. Donkor advised

Parents of candidates writing the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) have been urged to ensure that their wards eat breakfast before reporting to the centres to avoid health issues.Dr. Joseph Donkor, the Medical Superintendent of Manhean Polyclinic, speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the Tema Methodist Day (MEDASS) exams centre, said the pre-exam diet was important in calming the anxiety of the children.Dr. Donkor said this after stabilising a boy candidate of the Tema Community Eight Number Two JHS who collapsed at the centre a few minutes before the commencement of the examination.The candidate, the GNA gathered had had an accident a few weeks ago, which resulted in some health conditions before the examination.The boy also reported to the exam centre on an empty stomach, and therefore the nurse on duty at the centre had to ensure that porridge was bought for him to take before taking some medications and returning to his desk to write the exams.Dr. Donkor said the various educ ation directorates and the schools must liaise with the health directorate and hospitals in their area to organise a talk on the pre-exam diet for the pupils, parents, and teachers.'What we need to do is meet the teachers and parent-teacher-associations (PTA) of schools to counsel them on some of the pre-preparation diets; otherwise, these things won't stop,' he said.He advised them against consuming spicy foods ahead of the examination, noting that 'they need things like wheat, oats, milk, bread, sandwiches, and boiled eggs.Such foods will sustain you, and when you take in a lot of protein, you will not be visiting the washroom too often. Things like noodles with chicken are not advisable,' he stressed.Dr. Donkor also advised that candidates with any other health conditions must also be given more attention and must be prepared before the exams, adding that, for instance, asthmatic patients needed to have their nebulizers with them, and their pre-medications must be taken.He revealed that there wer e medications that could be prescribed to such people to prevent attacks, instead of waiting for them to go through such an ordeal at the exam centres, as anxiety could trigger such attacks.Source: Ghana News Agency