ANTALYA 

A Turkish family who was stranded abroad and denied treatment for COVID-19 thanked the government for bringing them home.

Emrullah Gulusken and his three children arrived from Sweden in an air ambulance and were taken to Ankara Sehir Hospital on April 26.

"I regained my health after a successful treatment. I would like to thank President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and other officials. I am proud to be a citizen of this country,” Gulusken told Anadolu Agency.

“There is no country in the world that brings its citizens by private plane, gives them treatment, and does not charge a penny. Turkey has a unique health system like nowhere in the world,” he added.

Gulusken tested positive for COVID-19 in Sweden's Malmo city but was denied treatment by authorities. His daughters Leyla and Samira shared posts on social media asking for help.

Turkey's Health Minister Koca took swift action and brought the family back.

Since originating in China last December, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed over 584,000 lives in 188 countries and regions.

More than 13.57 million cases have been reported worldwide, while over 7.57 million patients have recovered so far, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.

* Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur