The Sarnia-Lambton Health Coalition is calling on the Ford government to invest more in the public sector.
Chair June Weiss said a peaceful protest will be held in Sarnia on Saturday, one of several across Ontario scheduled to take place over the next month.
"We want our public hospitals funded appropriately," she said.
The Ontario Health Coalition has raised concerns about the privatization of procedures, such as cataract surgeries, hip and knee surgeries, as well as diagnostic imaging.
Weiss said coalitions are also trying to inform the public about additional costs they may incur after visiting a private clinic.
"The health coalition has had a lot of seniors come forward and say they weren't aware of extra billing that they had, for say cataract surgery," she said. "They're talking about a few thousand dollars, not everyone has that extra money and you shouldn't have to."
Weiss said the issue of underfunding goes back several years.
"When you're talking hip and knee surgeries in these [private] clinics, they are only going to take the patients that are the easiest, that have no other comorbidities," she said. "Anyone who has major health issues is still going to have to wait to get into the hospitals. The private clinics won't do those. But if the hospitals were funded appropriately, everyone would be able to get them done in the hospital, which is what we want."
A petition will be circulated at the rally to bring these concerns to the federal government's attention and ensure the Canada Health Act is being followed.
Saturday's protest will be held at the corner of London Road and Murphy Road, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Protests will also be held in Grey-Bruce, Windsor, and Mississauga on Saturday.
