"Could there possibly be a profit motive with the USA for such an inhumane policy?" The profit motive angle, yeah that's a good one to explore. Let's see what a company (Viatris) which produces human qualified hydroxychloroquine, and stands to profit from it's use, says about their own role in the fight against Covid: https://newsroom.viatris.com/viatris-role-in-the-fight-against-covid-19