An investigation into NHS Grampian funding has been called for amid claims the health board has lost out of millions of pounds worth of government cash.
North-east Labour MSP Richard Baker said that the impact of years of under-funding must be examined.
It comes after NHS Grampian missed targets for cancer treatment.
Meanwhile, it emerged more than 600 complaints had been made by employees over staff shortages.
Changes to NHS funding following a review in 2007 has seen increases in spending phased in over time.
But Mr Baker said NHS Grampian continued to lose out on its full entitlement.
He said: “NHS Grampian faces many challenges but at the core of all the problems is the fact that the health board has been underfunded by so much for so long under this Scottish Government.
“This is what now needs to be the subject of an independent investigation.
“As it stands NHS Grampian is under-funded by some £30 million compared to other health boards in Scotland. In this context it can come as no surprise that there is a recruitment crisis in our local NHS and waiting times targets are being missed.
“But to allow us to have a fuller understanding of the impact of this under-funding Audit Scotland should be asked to carry out an investigation.”
During a recent visit to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary Paul Gray, chief executive of NHS Scotland, praised high standards and determination of staff at the hospital.
But he admitted that current staffing arrangements, particularly in A&E, could ultimately put patient care at risk should it not be addressed.
At Holyrood last month, outgoing NHS Grampian medical director Dr Roelf Dijkhuizen, claimed the board had lost out on £1 billion of Scottish Government funding over the past decade.
The Arbuthnott formula for NHS funding was reviewed in 2006 amid concerns it did not reflect population growth, with Grampian seen to be particularly hard hit.
In 2007, the Scottish Government approved recommendations for a more detail funding model which considered rural populations, poverty and population growth.
However, the new model has yet to be introduced in full.
The Scottish Government insists it is increasing funding to NHS Grampian on an above-average basis.
A Scottish Government spokesman A Scottish Governmentsaid: “This government has protected NHS Grampian’s frontline budget, which has increased by £229.2 million since 2007 and will increase by 4.4 per cent to £812.6 million for 2015-16, both above inflation and the largest increase of any Scottish health board.
“The number of staff working in Scotland’s NHS has risen to a record high, with an increase of 3.6 per cent since 2006 in NHS Grampian alone. This includes over 100 new medical consultants and almost double the number of emergency medicine consultants.”