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Dr Tom Black, medical secretary for Western LMC, said the gender imbalance must be addressed to meet the needs of the population.

He proposed 'intelligent workforce planning' to ensure what he claimed was a four to one ratio of female to male GPs did not get worse.

His call came as Brian McKinstry, a senior researcher at the University of Edinburgh, wrote in the BMJ that male GPs will soon be in a minority due to a growing number of female medical graduates.

Many speakers at the conference, in Newcastle, County Down, opposed the idea which was defeated.

Dr Pamela Logue from Northern LMC said she was horrified it was even proposed.

'Females are obtaining results. Men prefer to come to a woman anyway,' she said.

Mr McKinstry's report argued that women work fewer hours and contribute less to research, training and committee work than men.

BMJ 2008; 338: 748-9

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