Stressed, isolated: Migrants face increased mental health risks amid coronavirus crisis

The mental health of domestic workers in cities such as Hong Kong and Macau may worsen during the new coronavirus epidemic, journal says

Researchers call for equal access to health services, as migrant workers report increased levels of stress and anxiety amid the crisis

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Migrant workers sit waiting with their documents at the Philippine Trade Training Centre in the Philippines. The medical journal Lancet Psychiatry has found that domestic workers are particularly vulnerable and their mental health could worsen as the coronavirus outbreak continues. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 7:02pm, 28 Feb 2020Updated: 7:05pm, 28 Feb 2020

The health of international migrant workers has been neglected by host countries and cities, such as Hong Kong and Macau, during the new coronavirus epidemic, a recent paper in the medical journal Lancet Psychiatry found.

Researchers said domestic workers were particularly vulnerable and their mental health could worsen amid the new coronavirus outbreak, which began in December in the mainland Chinese city of Wuhan and has already spread to more than 30 countries.

At least 95 per cent of the world’s 150 million international migrant workers live in regions in which cases of the Covid-19 disease have been confirmed, the paper noted.

Migrant workers picnic in Victoria Park in Hong Kong. Photo: Bloomberg

“The absence of a coordinated response for international migrant workers highlights a key deficiency in public health planning,” said the paper, which was co-authored by five international researchers, including Brian J. Hall, director of the Global and Community Mental Health Research Group at the University of Macau.

“Compared with other international migrants, for instance international students, international migrant workers encounter more barriers in accessing health services in host countries – such as inadequate health insurance – particularly migrant domestic workers.”