LONDON - Britain announced an increase in payments for severely wounded soldiers on Thursday, the latest move to provide more support for troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan following public criticism.
The Ministry of Defence said it would now make lump-sum payments of 285,000 pounds ($570,000) to soldiers who received multiple injuries from a single attack in war zones.
Previously, only a fixed amount for the three worst injuries was paid out, leading to a high-profile case in which a soldier hit by a landmine in Afghanistan and left without legs and severe damage to his brain and spine received just $300,000.
"Our armed forces are unique in making a vital contribution to the security of our nation and we have a responsibility to continue to look after them properly when they get injured," Defence Minister Des Browne said in a statement.
"This review will benefit those with the most serious multiple injuries."
The government had come in for sustained criticism from parents of injured soldiers and some veterans' groups for its perceived callousness towards badly wounded troops.
Discrepancies were highlighted by a case in July in which an air force typist at the Ministry of Defence received a payout of $1 million after damaging her wrists from excessive typing, sparking outrage on Ministry of Defence message boards.
Since October 2001, when Britain joined the United States in invading Afghanistan, 252 British troops have died fighting there and in Iraq, while thousands have been injured. Because of advances in medicine, many of the most severely wounded end up surviving, when in previous conflicts they might well have died.
