The rally, organised by Tumut Community Association, was originally aimed at highlighting a doctor shortage at Tumut Hospital.

However, when organisers heard of similar concerns elsewhere within Murrumbidgee Local Health District, they expanded the protest plan.

Residents will now be travelling from areas such as Griffith, Deniliquin and Hay, with buses being organised to bring them to the Morgan Street offices of the MLHD on October 30.

Col Locke from Tumut Community Association said his group had long been lobbying for more doctors.

Mr Locke said most patients were currently transferred from Tumut to Wagga Base Hospital.

"This has been going on for many years. It's just not working. We want a change of model. We want doctors who are actually employed by the hospital, at the hospital," he said.

Mr Locke said the Tumut region had a number of big industries, including forestry and milling - and Snowy Hydro 2.0 being developed, which were "dangerous occupations".

He said the community wanted doctors with expertise in areas such as anaesthesia and emergency medicine.

"There are several communities in the region that are now putting their hands up and saying 'we want doctors in our hospitals'," Mr Locke said.

Member for Wagga Joe McGirr and Member for Murray Helen Dalton will be attending the rally.

Dr McGirr questioned whether current training programs were producing doctors with the skills to become what has become known as "rural generalist" and said it was a statewide issue.

"To be a doctor working in a district or smaller hospital in a rural area, you actually have to have a range of skills. You've got to be a general practitioner, but you've also got to be able to work in a hospital, you've got to also be able to work in a rural community and you've got to have a reasonably high level of skills in relation to emergency medicine or anaethesia," he said.

Dr McGirr said he believed the key was to train doctors in rural areas. He said a training program was currently being developed by the MLHD to do exactly this.

Mrs Dalton wants the government to "pay attention".

"Everywhere I go in my electorate, I hear horror stories about hospitals and health services. I hear about people waiting hours in emergency wards, weeks for basic services, or having to travel hundreds of kilometres to see a doctor. More and more small town hospitals are operating without doctors," she said.