Until now, planes loaded with earthquake victims had been flown out of Haiti to Florida for treatment. But now the U.S. military has halted medical evacuation.
Navy Captain Kevin Aandahl, a spokesman for the U.S. Transportation Command, told Reuters that at this moment all the flights have been stopped.
"If Florida isn't taking them ... and I can't confirm this, but I think Georgia has made a similar statement, so if we can't bring them anywhere for treatment, then they're staying in Haiti," he added.
Florida asked for suspension
The suspension comes after Florida requested the government to freeze medical aid over concerns that there is not enough money to treat them.
As of now, more than 500 people have been treated in the state hospitals. But now the state is asking for federal money to treat victims who do not have insurance.
Sterling Ivey, a spokesperson for Governor Charlie Crist, stated that Florida is ready to treat Haiti victims, but there is a need for a proper plan of action and “reimbursement for the care we are providing.”
Ivey did not mention how much the medical aid was costing the state.
Further, Florida also cited that there was not enough space in the hospitals to treat all patients.
Governor Crist added, “We are trying to make sure we don’t over burden Florida and I think that it’s important that we don’t.”
Medical aid suspension harming victims
It is yet not clear in which state the earthquake victims will be treated. Till the time it is decided, the suspension of medical evacuations is going to harm patients.
Dr. Barth Green, co-founder of Project Medishare for Haiti, a nonprofit group, said that the people are dying because they cannot get out of Haiti.
But Aandahl assured saying that though the suspension of medical aid would affect the victims, that does not mean that they are not being taken care of.
“We have the medical facilities again on the island as well as offshore," he said.
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