The reason for developing a Moscow city health profile is to ground community health assessments in a policy framework. The health-related quality of life of Moscow at the end of 1991 was contingent on the sociopolitical context of that period, therefore the following section makes a brief digression to examine the historical antecedents of health policy in Russia. Communist era ideology guaranteed equality of access and equity in health status outcome, but failed to integrate individual quality of life and a civic community into health policy.