Pakistan, April 20 -- Pakistan's healthcare system is in crisis, and the Punjab government's plan to privatize hospitals is making things worse. With only one doctor for every 1,764 people-far below the World Health Organization's standard of one per 1,000-Pakistan is struggling to care for its citizens. Many doctors are leaving the country, and strict rules make it hard for students to become doctors. This leaves people without the medical help they need.

The recent protests in Lahore, led by the Young Doctors Association (YDA), show how serious the problem is. Doctors, nurses, and health workers marched to the Chief Minister's Secretariat to demand that public hospitals stay public. They were met with violence from police, who beat and...