Is it permissible for an elderly woman afflicted with a chronic illness, who has an inheritance that she spends on herself and on those who serve her, and whose husband is an elderly pensioner, to take from Zakat to cover the exorbitant costs of her treatment?

If a woman is wealthy in her own right, she is not entitled to Zakat. However, if she does not find enough for her medical expenses, or if she finds medical expenses but does not find enough to cover her basic needs such as food and housing, then it is permissible to give her from Zakat.