Chelmsford GPs may be asked to save money by prescribing cheaper medicines rather than more expensive branded products.
The move could be part of major health care cuts in services and grants as Chelmsford Primary Care Trust struggles to avoid a £2 million overspend
Grants to voluntary organisations, counselling and physiotherapy could also be hit in a bid to reverse a mounting deficit.
The PCT, which is responsible for buying health care, said that future services and developments could be in jeopardy if cuts are not made.
A three-month consultation process on the cutbacks was launched by the PCT this week, and public meetings are planned for December and January before final decisions are taken.
The proposals put forward by the PCT could result in funds no longer being provided for patients to be referred by their GPs for counselling or physiotherapy
Grants to voluntary organisations could be cut by half and some health improvement programmes halted PCT chief executive Mark Halladay said: "A combination of debts incurred in previous years and a lower than average share of national funding means we have to be realistic about our situation.
"It is no good burying our heads in the sand because, apart from anything else, the PCT has a statutory duty to balance its books at the end of the year."
Dr John Cormack, spokesman for the BMA in Essex, said: "There are more and more drugs available and it is not just about changing the doctors' methods of prescribing, it is about patients accepting changes."
Published Thursday November 20, 2003
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