Kolkata’s ‘Pavement Doctor’ Jack Preger Dies at 96

KOLKATA, October 31, 2026: Dr. Jack Preger, the British physician who devoted nearly four decades to providing healthcare and support to Kolkata’s poorest people, has died at his home in Diss, Norfolk, following a brief illness. He was 96.

Widely known as Kolkata’s ‘Pavement Doctor’, Preger dedicated his life to treating people living on streets, railway platforms and in conditions of extreme poverty. His humanitarian mission led to the establishment of Calcutta Rescue, an organisation that continues to provide healthcare, education and vocational training to disadvantaged communities.

Born in Manchester in 1930 into a Jewish family, Preger initially considered becoming a rabbi. He studied economics and political science at Oxford University before deciding, at the age of 34, to pursue medicine. He subsequently enrolled at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin and later embraced Catholicism, a conversion that gave a new spiritual dimension to his commitment to serving humanity.

After qualifying as a doctor, he learnt Spanish and initially considered working among impoverished communities in Latin America. However, a radio appeal in 1972 took him to Bangladesh, where he provided medical assistance to refugees in Dhaka following the country's independence.

Preger was expelled from Bangladesh in 1979 after raising concerns about an alleged child-trafficking racket involving government officials. He then moved to Kolkata, where he briefly worked with the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa.

He subsequently began treating people living on the city's streets, many of whom had been displaced by the Bangladesh conflict. His growing commitment to those without access to medical care eventually led to the formal registration of Calcutta Rescue in 1991.

The organisation has since expanded its work through clinics, schools and vocational training centres across Kolkata. It estimates that its services have reached around half a million people, continuing the mission of care for the poor that Preger had begun.

His work frequently brought him into confrontation with authorities. He faced legal challenges concerning his medical practice and the charity's overseas funding and was also imprisoned. During his incarceration, he contracted amoebic dysentery. These experiences later prompted him to campaign for prison reform.

In January 2019, at the age of 88, Preger returned permanently to the United Kingdom, leaving the organisation in the hands of the team he had built over the years.

His contribution to humanitarian service earned him the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), while the Asian Awards named him Philanthropist of the Year.

Colleagues remembered him as a gentle and affectionate person, particularly attentive to children and those living on the margins of society. His life reflected a deep commitment to human dignity, compassion and solidarity with the poor.

Preger's journey from Judaism to Catholicism was closely connected with his understanding of faith as a call to serve others. Through decades of work among Kolkata's most vulnerable people, he demonstrated how religious conviction could find expression in practical acts of compassion.

His legacy continues through Calcutta Rescue and the thousands of lives touched by his work.

Courtesy : Times of India