May One Give Zakat To The Organizations That Provide Medical Treatment To The Poor And The Needy?

May one give zakat to the organizations that provide medical treatment to the poor and the needy?

Delivering the zakat and sadaqah al-fitr directly is one of the conditions for their validity. It expresses handing over the property right on a goods or a financial right to another person. Zakat and sadaqah al-fitr may be given to charitable organizations and foundations (by appointing the managers as proxy) that collect zakat and sadaqah al-fitr in a separate fund to deliver to the poor and needy and managed by trustworthy people (Kasani, Bada’i, II, 4).

If such organizations and waqfs are given permit and appointed as proxy to receive and use zakat to support treatment expenses of people who are eligible recipients for zakat, they may receive zakat on behalf of them. For those who have not reached puberty yet, the permission to be proxy should be taken from their parents. Certainly, those who will be proxies should be trustworthy people; zakat should not be used for other things, and relevant supervisions should not be ignored.

Zakat, fitr and fidyah funds should not be used for those who are getting treatment on such foundations but are not poor or needy.

Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATWA