How does pollution affect health care?

The first two that immediately spring to mind are:

Extended waiting periods

This increases the number of people who visit critical care centers and emergency rooms; as the number of patients increases, so does the number of people who may become ill as a result of exposure to the pollutants (for example, if one person is exposed to a pollutant, one person may or may not become sick; if 1,000 people are exposed then only 1 person may become sick, 500 may become sick, or all 1,000 may become sick [or any given number of people may become sick]).

(Aside: each pollutant has a different treatment, and the symptoms and signs of pollutant exposure are very generic, resembling other conditions.

Costs of healthcare have increased.

In private hospitals, accurate diagnosis and treatment are crucial, but so is patient satisfaction, which necessitates shorter wait times. To reduce wait times, the hospital must hire more staff members, both medical and non-medical, and acquire more diagnostic equipment, both of which are expensive. The hospital must raise costs in order to keep these costs from eating into its profits, i.e., passing the cost on to patients.

Pollution affects healthcare by causing respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, and other health issues due to exposure to pollutants such as particulate matter, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.