ainda se queixam dos hospitais portugueses --'

The UK's Tony Collins holds the Guinness World Record for the longest wait on a hospital trolley after spending 77 hours and 30 minutes stuck outside the toilets in the Princess Margaret Hospital, Swindon, UK, between February 24 and 27, 2001.

"I'd contracted a virus," said Tony about his record-breaking experience, "and although I was taken in at 3 p.m. on the Saturday, it wasn't until 8.30 p.m. on the Tuesday that I was found a bed in another ward, when an elderly patient was moved to make room for me."

"I developed a bad back, had no privacy, and had to rely on the nurses to bring me a drink because there was nowhere to rest a jug!"

Despite his ordeal, Tony, a diabetic, returned to the hospital the day after he was released to thank the nurses who helped him deal with his pain - and give them a gift of a microwave oven!

"I can think of better records to have," reflected the bed-sore superstar. "And unfortunately, it will probably be the sort of record that gets broken every day in the NHS."

Ironically, as Guinness World Records researchers were considering his claim, Tony fell ill again, was forced to go back into hospital - and was left on a trolley for another 60 hours!