According to the BBC, those wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan are to receive are to be the beneficiaries of a more generous compensation scheme.
Under the old rules a soldier was only compensated for the worst three injuries from any one incident. The new rules will take in to account all injuries suffered, with compensation awarded on a sliding scale.
Those who suffer from post traumatic stress will also benefit from more generous awards and a rise in the annual amount given to soldiers for their loss of earnings.
The scheme is likely to cost the Ministry of Defence millions of pounds due to the increased payouts. The change comes following a report by the National Audit Office, which also states that hospitals in Afghanistan and the UK are coming under pressure from increased casualties and projects that the number of casualties will continue to rise. The report states that the cost of medical care as a result of British military operations was £71 million in 2008-09. However the report also praises the care provided to those wounded as “highly effective”.
It is evident from these figures that the increase in the compensation scheme has the risk that it will take away from the investment in medical care as a result of military operations. Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham is a specialist hospital and the worry is that the funding will not be sufficient to enable them to maintain current care levels if admissions rise as projected.
However, the rise in compensation is the right thing to do; these troops put their bodies on the line for their country and should be appropriately compensated for the entirety of their injuries, not just partially.
It is the least that they deserve for their efforts. In recognition of this the Ministry of Defence are now looking in to the reasons for the projected casualty increase and ways to try and reduce the numbers and improve prevention measures.
