The governor of Neuquén, Rolando Figueroa, toured (on Monday 6/17) the beginning of the gas supply work on the Añelo plateau, which will allow more than 400 residents to be connected to the natural gas network, and emphasized the YPF’s decision to improve the supply of this input to said town. The governor explained that it means “multiplying the gas supply capacity by eight” in that area.
Likewise, he participated in the inauguration of a kinesiology care center that was financed by Pluspetrol, at a cost of 117 million pesos.
Regarding the gas supply work, it is carried out by Hidrocarburos del Neuquén SA (Hidenesa), the Neuquén state company, which will allow residents to stop heating themselves with wood. It is part of the investments that seek to improve the provision of basic services and that have the support of the public and private sectors, it was described.
“We laid the foundations so that we can, once and for all, continue supplying gas through networks to more inhabitants of Añelo. In the next 60 days, almost 435 will be the new beneficiaries of being able to have natural gas in the town” (strong producer of unconventional gas in Vaca Muerta), she remarked.
The governor reiterated that in Neuquén “the main axis must be the citizen” and highlighted the importance of teamwork and coordination (State and companies) “to provide solutions to our people.”
The authorities also participated in the inauguration of the fifth stage of the sewer work, which had the contribution of the companies PECOM and TSB. Subsequently, he covered a stretch of asphalt on 24th Street, which was executed with the Confluencia company. Figueroa highlighted the contribution of Pan American Energy to the completion of the works.
WORKS IN HEALTH
Figueroa also inaugurated the new kinesiology building of the “Artemio Rubén Bautista” Hospital and the Pragma Medical Clinic in Añelo, which will allow for prioritizing health services in the town.
“We are convinced that the coverage of the health system in the province must grow in the public and private sectors,” he said.
Pluspetrol reported that the work on the first Kinesiology Center in Añelo was carried out within a period of 120 days, with a total cost of 117 million pesos financed exclusively by the Company.
It has modern facilities to serve the community. It will significantly improve the quality of life of local inhabitants, providing access to essential services in a modern and fully equipped space, it was highlighted.
The opening ceremony was attended by Governor Figueroa and the General Manager of Pluspetrol Argentina, Adrián Vila.
“This center represents much more than an economic investment; it is a contribution that adds to the well-being and health of the community of Añelo and its surroundings who previously had to travel to other locations to access their kinesiological treatments. We feel very satisfied with the articulation achieved with the Ministry of Health of the Province, highlighted Vila.
The initiative arose in 2018 from a need raised by the authorities of the local Añelo Hospital, given that they lacked a kinesiology service in the area of influence.
At first (2020) Pluspetrol provided the necessary equipment to launch the service, in temporary facilities, while the project for the new work was launched.
In 2023, Pluspetrol signed an agreement with the Ministry of Health, committing to finance and build the new kinesiology center according to the plans prepared by the Ministry and on land provided by the Hospital. The construction was carried out by Corporación Forestal del Neuquén SA (CORFONE), a provincial government company specialized in wood construction systems.
The new Center is developed on one floor with an area of 140 m2, and includes a waiting room, toilets, kitchen and office for staff, storage, an office, three boxes for kinesiological care and a space for therapeutic exercises.
The governor highlighted the expectation “generated by the growth of Neuquén,” which has turned it into a national immigration phenomenon.
“We have to grow federally, always taking into account the cries that exist from within, like that cry that Güemes had in Salta,” he reflected, alluding to the national holiday in memory of Martín Miguel de Guemes.
For his part, the Minister of Health, Martín Regueiro, pointed out that “it is always a pride to be able to inaugurate and increase the provision of benefits in the province,” and stressed that “when one thinks about rehabilitation, one thinks about kinesiology, one thinks about alternatives that allow “People do not have to travel, for example, to Neuquén (capital) to receive care.”
The mayor acknowledged that “there was a debt with the health community for Añelo. This is the link and commitment that companies and operators have to have with a community that contributes a lot to them. “Development and growth also implies more infrastructure for an entire community,” he noted.
The new building for the Kinesiology service belongs to Sanitary Zone V. The work was financed by Pluspetrol and the Province made an investment of more than 10,500,000 pesos in equipment and furniture.
The Rehabilitation and Kinesiology Service had been operating for approximately three years in a trailer equipped and donated by the same company, with the intention of having a kinesiology center.
The Chief of Staff ministers, Juan Luis Ousset, also participated in the activities; of Infrastructure, Rubén Etcheverry; of Economy, Production and Industry, Guillermo Koenig and the delegate of the Vaca Muerta Region, Milton Morales, along with other provincial and municipal officials.
