Hundreds of GPs from the east of the country will meet in Dublin tonight to call for the proper financing of general practice, which, they claim, may be facing extinction due to a succession of cuts.

The National Association of GPs (NAGP), which is organising the meeting, has claimed that as a result of the removal of of €160 million in income and practice funding from GPs in recent years, over 100 GP practices are facing closure and many more face 'imminent financial ruin'.

The Dublin meeting will be the sixth and largest meeting in a series of 'town hall' events which have taken place over the past two months.

They have been attended by GPs who are worried about the future of the profession following a succession of budget cuts and attempts to impose new contracts (in tandem with the planned under sixes scheme), which, among other things, 'effectively gag GPs from openly criticising the HSE', according to the NAGP.

The group points out that general practice gets less than 3% of the overall health budget, yet 95% of patient contacts every day take place in general practice.

GPs at the meeting in gthe Burlington Hotel tonight will call on politicians and policy-makers to end 'this flawed policy and properly resource general practice'.

According to NAGP CEO Chris Goodey, the decision to hold these meetings 'reflects the growing crisis in general practice the length and breadth of the country. We're hearing from GPs working an average of 70 hours a week just to keep their heads above water'.

The NAGP says the resources that GPs receive from the HSE  for the medical card scheme have been cut to the point where they are having a significant impact on patient health and services.