Around 250 GPs staged a protest outside the Dail on Wednesday to highlight the crisis facing their sector.

According to the National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP), which organised the protest, cuts to GP services have resulted in compromised safety standards for patients. They have also resulted in more patients being ‘forced unnecessarily into expensive secondary care'.

The association insisted that general practice ‘represents the best value for the State and the taxpayer', because it provides local, accessible care at a fraction of the cost of hospital treatment.

However it said that GPs have been ignored by successive governments, and along with ongoing cuts, this has led to the emigration of many young GPs and the demise of many rural practices.

The NAGP noted that there are 3,000 GPs in Ireland, at least one in five of which works part-time. Ireland currently has one of the lowest numbers of GPs per capita in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), at 141 GPs per 100,000 population.

In order to bring Ireland in line with the OECD average, an extra 500 GPs are needed.

According to NAGP president and Clare GP, Dr Conor McGee, general practice ‘has and is being damaged every day'. Newly qualified GPs are leaving Ireland and even experienced GPs are being ‘actively recruited by GP training schemes in the Middle and Far East'.

"Rural practices have been economically drained by drastic cuts to the point that rural practice is no longer viable. Some 30% of GPs will retire in the next five years but a significant number of those in their 50s and 60s, many of whom would usually have retired by now, are unable to do so because of significant levels of debt attached to their practices.

"This has and will continue to contribute to a slowing of the jobs market for young and emerging GPs," Dr McGee said.

Meanwhile, according to Greystones GP, Dr Ciara Kelly, the doctors took the ‘unprecedented step of protesting' because they believe that what is happening in general practice is impacting on vulnerable patients and ‘undermining overall patient safety'.

Responding to the NAGP protest, Health Minister Leo Varadkar insisted that he ‘fully acknowledges that GPs are under pressure, both financially and in terms of workload'.

However, he said that these same problems are ‘facing everyone in the health service' and more GPs are now taking up contracts with the HSE

"Latest figures show there were 2,416 GPs contracted to the HSE in April 2014 compared to 2,258 at the end of 2010," he noted.

He said that the Government wants to increase resources to primary care as part of the transition to universal health.

"I strongly encourage GPs to seize the opportunity presented by the new contract negotiations and the proposal to extend GP care without fees to the under sixes and over 70s as the best way to get more resources into general practice. It's an opportunity that shouldn't be lost," he added.