One important outcome national and international migration is the development of economies and societies worldwide [1].In the past, migration was slow process among Thai immigrant employees. When Thai society formed the AEC (Asian Economic Community) society two years ago, a researcher in Thailand studied the path analysis of mental health among Thai immigrant employees who worked in Pranakron Si Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. It found that job conditions and the distance travelled between their home and workplace had a direct effect on mental health [1]. This research implied that job conditions were an important factor related to mental health [1]. This point reflected that not only national migration but also international migration is sensitive, especially, among Asian immigrant employees (e.g. Burmese, Lao, and Cambodian) who need to work in Thailand. However, the international population increased in 2015, 2016, and 2017. It is different from 2014 where it was (only 0.5 % of the overall population of Thailand) [2].Besides, data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2014 reported that migrant population of Thailand (e.g. Burmese, Lao, and Cambodian) who worked and lived in Thailand, comprised of 2,766, 968 people of which only 1,082892 people (39.13%) had work permits [3]. Moreover, and Thailand Migration Report 2019 reported that Burmese, Lao, and Cambodian who were worked in Thailand, comprised of 3,010,015 people [4]. The Thai policy for international migration allowed Burmese, Lao, and Cambodians to work in low skilled jobs and legally register based on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2003 including [5, 6]. Asian immigrant employees mainly worked in Bangkok, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Region (e.g. Nonthaburi, Pathomthani, Nakhon Pathum, Samutsakorn, and Samutprakarn Provinces). Generally, they worked in the service sector (18.1%), agricultural sector (16.9%), construction (16.8%), fisheries (10.4%), and domestic service (9.9%) [7]. Intra-regional migration to contribute to the economic development of the region, a freer flow of skilled migrant labour was included as a key policy measure for the AEC initiated in 2015 [4]. However, Asian migrant employees (e.g. Burmese, Lao, and Cambodian) are employed in low-skilled jobs that are not covered by its skills recognition arrangements after ASEAN community’s policy [4].
in low-skilled jobsmeasure for the AEC initiated in 2015
A rapid change amongst Asian immigrant employees who were working and settling down in Thailand, especially, Burmese, Lao, and Cambodian was that it lead to poor physical health (e.g. STD, dengue fever, malaria, diarrhea etc.) [8–10], poor mental health (e.g. occupational stress, stress from unemployment, no health insurance and work permits, depression from homesickness, anxiety about the language, hard work with, not enough rest, and feelings of exploitation and exclusion etc.) [11].
It leads into an incremental need for a system of public health administration because of the difficulties in accessing both the health service and beneficial health information [11].The Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) concluded that a new structure of public health administration related was needed, which was both demand and technology driven. It focused on the macrostructural factor of public health administration among immigrant employees such as; the mental health care system, mental health service management, and the twin contexts of emigration and reception [12]. In the USA, the mental health care system called for a new Obama care system which managed only immigrant employees under The Affordable Care Act with co-payments for health insurance [12]. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health in Thailand forced Burmese, Lao, and Cambodians; who are Asian immigrant employees, to buy some health insurance [2]. Mental health service management is related to convenience within the context of emigration as well as in Cuban immigrant employees[13] who used the mental health service in the community health system in Cuba before they were transferred to the mental health service in Florida which has a mental health transfer system [13]. Rather, African, Asian, and Latin America immigrant employees who did not have a universal health care system in their country exhibited a negative trend for this service [14]. This is in contrast to the context of the reception associated with public health administration at government, social, and community level [13]. For example, government policy is to take care of and cure health issues among new immigrant employees and to tackle social exclusion and discrimination; in addition, to work within employer countries including passive acceptance active encouragement, and adapt attitudes towards race, class, religion, and language among immigrant employees [13].
The public health system of Thailand providing care for the mental health of Asian immigrant employees is based on the mental health care system developed under the ASEAN community’s policy. It reports about mental health care among Burmese to use as guidelines to develop mental health work practices and to report on the mental health of refugees [15, 16].
The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) community policy issue, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) contain a wellbeing health target set by WHO and the UN [17]. The ASEAN community policy is related to the ASEAN political and security community (APSC), and the ASEAN economic community (AEC), ASEAN social and cultural community (ASCC) [18]. Health issues fall under ASCC which focuses on providing a social safety net and protection from the negative impacts of integration and globalization including access to healthcare and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. Issues effecting Asian immigrant employee fall under The ASEAN occupational safety and health network in each country [18].
The issue of the need for mental health care and mental health service utilization among Asian immigrant employees from previous studies found that they studied only the need general health care, from self-related health and physician-rated health indicators as independent predictors of mortality in elderly men [19]. They also focused on the predictive value of self-assessed general, physical, and mental health on functional decline and mortality in older adults [20], based on self- and physician-rated general health in relation to symptoms and diseases among women [21]. Some research projects studied the discordance between physicians and patient self-related health and all-cause mortalities[22] similar to the health status and health care utilization patterns between foreigners and the national population in Spain [5].
Therefore, it is important and necessary to analyze a causal model (e.g. direct, indirect, and total effect) of public health administration, the need for mental health care, and mental health status associated with mental health service utilization among Asian immigrant employees under the ASEAN community’s policy.
The operational definitions from this research consist of (i) public health administration means the macrostructural factors in public health administration which are associated with the mental health care system, mental health service management, the context of emigration and reception, (ii) ASEAN community policy means policy about access to healthcare and the promotion of healthy lifestyles, and mental health care among Burmese, Lao, and Cambodians, (iii) need for mental health care means immigrant-specific mental health needs/ conditions among Burmese, Lao, and Cambodians including issues of health insurance under the government, employment practices leading to poor mental health, discrimination, language differences, mental health services in their country of origin, health costs, and information, (iv) mental health status means unhappiness, anxiety, social impairment, and hypochondriasis (using General Health Questionnaire in Thai version), (v) mental health service utilization means factsheets cell phones, websites, web boards, and email being used to contact physician within the previous year.