Red tape and respect for the elderly

Recently, my European health insurance card expired. I contacted the Health Entitlement Office by e-mail about a renewal. No reply.

After about 10 days, I contacted the same office by e-mail again. I received a curt e-mail requesting me to visit their office in Valletta in order to fill out a "form".

As I am an 81-year-old person, I tried to avoid the strain of travelling to Valletta; so I contacted the local council. I was informed that they could provide the relative form but I had to hand it in at the Valletta office. So I decided to go to Valletta, fill the form and hand it in as required.

Nothing else was required but the form, duly filled in by the applicant. There is even a query on the form asking whether I would like to receive my card by post or call for it. As can be imagined I asked for my card to be sent by post.

What I would like to know is:

a) Why all this hassle to renew a simple health card?

b) Doesn't the government accept e-correspondence on matters concerning the EU?

c) Isn't Maltapost trusted to carry a simple form from applier to the Entitlement Office?

d) Does whoever made these conditions have any respect for old people who find it hard to travel to Valletta for such a simple matter?

I was under the impression that both government departments and the European Union catered for all of this.