The Jewish community in the northwestern province of Tucumán, Argentina, unveiled a new medical center and ritual bath to serve the more than 500 needy Jewish families in the area.

Spearheaded by Chabad-Lubavitch of Tucumán and built in conjunction with the National University of Tucumán and the regional government, the complex will provide psychological, dental, gynecological and family medical services to those lacking basic insurance.

Rabbi Daniel Levy, director of the Chabad House, said that he approached Vice Governor Juan Manzur about the project after the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee concluded from data gathered in 2003 that more than 92 percent of the area’s Jewish residents could not afford medical treatments.

“We decided that we had to do something about the lack of care,” said Levy.

For his part, Manzur looked back on his first meeting regarding the project as inspiring. When he approached the official two years ago, Levy invoked a teaching of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.

“I will always remember the rabbi’s words: ‘When two people meet, [the reason] is to be able to help a third person,’ ” Manzur said at the center’s dedication last week. “This meeting will always stay in my memory.”

The ritual bath in the building was funded by the Bistritsky Family, Abraham Levy and other donors.