This is a real case that happened in real time in a real Maltese household last week.

Of course, one case, even if it involves, as we shall see, multiple players, is not statistically valid. But for the people out there it may resonate as they find their own experiences mirrored in it.

It happened on Thursday evening as Karl Stagno Navarro was interviewing the head of the Civil Service who was expounding how more efficiency has been brought in the government machine through something called KPI.

A young lady entered this house at that precise moment carrying three, not one, letters. Each was addressed to her and each had the wrong address. The young lady in question had personally, or through her accountant, informed the three government offices of a change in her address. Yet the three all sent their letters to her previous address.

The government bodies in question were: the Income Tax Department, the VAT Department and the Office where you register a dog.

How efficient!

For just as a chain is as strong as its weakest link, so too a government office or any office in general, statal or private, stands or falls by the quality of its lowest employees, such as those whose duty is to address relatively lower grade issues such as change of address.

This deficiency is widespread and can have damaging effects. Such as the case of a person who informed Mater Dei Hospital of a change of address in regards of a serious medical investigation. Predictably, the hospital failed to register that woman’s new address, with the consequence that a letter informing of a medical appointment was sent to the old address where no one now lives. The letter remained there, collecting dust, until repeated efforts retrieved it … from an estate agent who had meanwhile collected all mail from the old address. It resulted in a medical appointment being lost, maybe with consequences.

People may say there is the Postal Redirection system but even this can slip up. Despite a postal redirection notice, a letter from, of all people, the Maltapost people was sent to the wrong address.

So when the head of the Civil Service was boasting of the increased efficiency of the civil service maybe he should have checked first to ensure that the KPIs were working.

And the people at the hospital must never forget they are dealing, not with pieces of paper but with the lives of people. A simple mistake can lead to delay in tackling a disease and this delay can have fatal consequences.