Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 11 (IANS): As part of the nationwide protest by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), barring emergency services, Covid care activities and ICU, all other medical activities have come to a standstill in Kerala on Friday.

The day long protests began at 6 a.m. and would continue till 6 p.m.

The nationwide shutdown called by the IMA is to protest against the Centre's move to allow Ayurveda doctors to perform surgery.

Consequent to it, the call given by the Kerala unit of the IMA saw even private clinics downing their shutters. The Kerala unit has also asked its members not to open even one's personal clinics, attached to their residence.

Across the state the medical professionals are organising protests keeping in view the Covid protocols.

It was last month, the Centre issued a notification which authorises post-graduate practitioners in specified streams of Ayurveda to be trained to perform surgical procedures such as excisions of benign tumours, amputation of gangrene, nasal and cataract surgeries.

The notification listed 39 general surgery procedures and around 19 procedures involving the eye, ear, nose and throat by amending the Indian Medicine Central Council (Post Graduate Ayurveda Education) Regulations, 2016.