ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the "realities" of the Soviet health care system and its contribution to the quality of life in the Soviet Union. It shows that any medical system is the result of the universalistic forces of science and technology and the particular cultural and historical setting in which it exists. Thus an understanding of Soviet medicine is impossible without an understanding of the major features of Soviet society and Soviet life, including its system of social stratification and inequalities, which results in different medical "realities" depending on where specific individuals are located. Given the bureaucratic nature of Soviet medical care, one can posit that the widespread misreporting of information and statistical data can only have a deleterious effect on the general provision of health services, and consequently on the quality of life in the Soviet Union.
