Healthcare diamonds

Healthcare diamondsA full-page ad in today's Financial Times reads, in full:

Funding schools,improving healthcare,building nations.Discover everythinga diamond can dodiamondfacts.org

There's also a picture of a pair of hands holding dozens of diamonds, with hundreds more diamonds littered on a table below.So I checked out the site, which is dedicated to celebrating the positive elements of the diamond trade and documenting actions taken to halt the flow of "conflict diamonds." I thought it was interesting that the site chose to feature health care so prominently.Twenty-one "facts" are listed. Number one is that 5 million people have access to healthcare in Southern Africa due to diamond revenues. This includes a boast about diamond companies paying for HIV treatment for workers and their families. Fact number 12 speaks about the importance of diamond revenues in fighting HIV/AIDS, and repeats the claim made in fact number one.The diamond people are extremely careful about maintaining a good image, and their attempt to associate diamonds with health care provision says something about what's on the world's mind. Now, if they could only find a study linking owning diamonds to improved health.