SCOTS GPS working in deprived areas are earning less than colleagues in well-off parts of the country, and their patients get a poorer service. GPs' representatives now warn that it is increasingly unattractive for family doctors to practice in such areas.

Dr Dean Marshall, chairman of the Scottish General Practitioners Committee (SGPC), said: "Often the people with the greatest need access the least care. But the question is, how do you sort it? The answer might be to direct more funding at deprived areas without taking away from other areas that need funding, but it is important not to level down' by disinvesting in other areas."

Dr Ian McKee, SNP MSP for the Lothians, was a GP in Wester Hailes and Sighthill in Edinburgh for 30 years. He said: "It is easier for health boards to distribute funding by a population basis rather than a need basis, which is why you have additional initiatives like the Keep Well scheme which Nicola Sturgeon announced a funding increase for last week. We also have the taskforce on health inequalities.

"It is my personal view, as a former GP working in a deprived area, that under the current funding, GPs in deprived areas earn less and so it is a less attractive proposition to work there. This inequality needs to be addressed. I also think that those providing healthcare in deprived areas should be directly resourced to do so.

"For example, in the past GPs got payments for achieving 80% inoculation rates in children. GPs in the more deprived areas spent a lot more time, effort and money to achieve that figure, whereas the GPs in the more affluent areas achieved it with relative ease."

GPs have also called for funding increases to cope with the greater demands being made on primary healthcare services due to the country's population boom, a result of higher birth rates and migration from across the UK and Eastern Europe.

The British Medical Association is in talks with the Scottish government over the issue. A spokeswoman said: "With the rapid increase of Scotland's population there are many more demands on GPs in Scotland but the maximum funding limit, or funding envelope', means there is no extra money for this."

The SGPC's Marshall said an offer on the maximum funding limit has been made by the Scottish government, but with strings attached on the existing GPs' contract. He said: "Our point is that more people access the health service, sometimes at greater cost and there is no increased funding to reflect this extra workload."

A spokeswoman for the Scottish government said: "We have made an offer to the SGPC which would remunerate GPs for increased workload should the population number rise significantly.

"We remain committed to ensuring sufficient resources are in place to support health boards in their duty to make sure every Scot has access to a GP."

She added: "We will continue to look at areas of the GP contract that do not adequately reflect the additional needs of GP practices in disadvantaged communities."