Smokers in Tayside and Fife are failing to quit the habit as cessation rates plunge.
The number of supported attempts to stop across the region more than halved from 16,517 in 2012/13 to 8,022 in 2016/17.
The biggest reduction in supported attempts was in Angus where there were 2,769 in 2012/13, dropping by 53.7% to 1,283 last year.
In Dundee the figure dropped from 3,658 to 1,964 (46%); from 6,882 to 3,230 in Fife (53.1%); and from 3,208 to 1,545 in Perth and Kinross (51.8%).
North East region Scottish Conservative MSP Bill Bowman said: “It is terrible to see Angus has one of Scotland’s lowest quit rates.
“And the number of supported quit attempts has also dropped by almost half in the last five years – a similar picture to Dundee.
“While the number of smokers has dropped across Scotland, Tayside is one of three board areas with significantly lower reductions.
“In that time, the SNP has cut funding to smoking reduction by more than two thirds. That decision must have had some impact on these figures.
“They have been in charge of the NHS in Scotland for 11 years and should be helping as many people as possible stop.
“The implications to public health and the financial state of NHS Scotland are too important.”
The findings were revealed as it emerged funding was cut by 67% for “cessation and related campaigns” over the past five years.
Despite the reduction in supported quit attempts, the number of smokers across Tayside and Fife has dropped from 155,651 five years ago to 137,549, which is an 11% reduction.
North East Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Rumbles said: “It is no surprise this latest round of cuts have resulted in fewer people getting support to quit smoking.
“After 11 years of SNP mismanagement our local services and healthcare in Tayside have been left without the resources to do the job properly. Staff simply can’t cope.
“Helping people quit the habit early makes good sense and will benefit both the individual and our health services in the long-term.
“But the number of people receiving help has halved in the past five years and that is a direct result of Scottish Government policy.
“Too often our services in the North East region are at the back of the queue. It is time the Scottish Government recognised the damaged caused to people’s lives.
“The health minister must now look again at how we fund the NHS and provide the resources needed to get our local health boards back on track.”
The Scottish Government said the money for “cessation and related campaigns” represented “only a very small percentage of the total financial support for smoking cessation services”.
“We have maintained funding for Health Boards for stop-smoking services since 2013 at around £10m,” the spokeswoman said.
“Quitting is the single most important action a smoker can do to improve their health.”
