Is it permissible to pay Zakat on money with a check due to a lack of liquidity or need for it, and can this check be delivered to cancer patients in a hospital?

Zakat (definition) is obligatory immediately, and it is not permissible to delay its payment except for a legitimate reason, such as the unavailability of funds to pay it or the absence of the poor.

It is permissible to pay Zakat with a bank check or a certified check, as it takes the ruling of cash.

As for paying Zakat to patients in hospitals, it is permissible to pay it to the hospital if it allocates Zakat for the treatment of Muslim patients who are unable to pay for their treatment costs. Otherwise, Zakat must be paid directly to the poor patient.