Dr Graham Urquhart apologised to patients

She said the ruling cast doubt on self-regulation in the medical profession.

Last week the GMC's professional conduct committee found a combined total of 82 charges against them to be proved.

It said they failed to spot signs of the disease in a number of women quickly enough.

Eleven of them later died, though the GMC said it would be impossible to decide whether they might have lived.

Serious negligence

Mary Clarke-Glass, chairman of the professional conduct committee, said strict conditions on the doctors' future work were enough to protect the public.

She said the committee was deeply concerned that many patients suffered through their serious negligence.

Eleven women died after screening errors

But she added that the committee had taken notice of the doctors' "responsible and realistic decision" to give up working in the field.

Both doctors have been barred from undertaking any radiology involving mammography or from carrying out any private work.

Their work will be supervised for the next two years.

Dr Brennan was barred from taking managerial responsibility.

Casual reading

During the hearing, Dr Brennan was described as uncaring and dismissive towards patients.

Witnesses said he sometimes read a newspaper with his feet on his desk during clinics.

X-ray images were not clear enough

Colleagues accused him of refusing to talk about cases where mistakes might have been made.

The scandal emerged when a junior doctor in the service raised the alarm.

Two thousand cases were reviewed by the health authority.

The GMC found last week that a total of 82 women had been the victims of sub-standard care by both doctors between 1991 and 1997.

Triple failures

Both doctors had missed tumours and failed to recall patients.

Screening expert Dr Robin Wilson checked x-rays the pair had seen and reported a "unique catalogue" of failures.

They failed to carry out a triple test after symptoms were seen.

Screening images were of poor quality and they did not recall women with symptoms.

The GMC hearing cleared both doctors of failings in relation to 16 patients.

Dr Brennan, of Highweek village, Newton Abbot, Devon, was the clinical director of the East Devon Breast Screening Service from October 1990 until he took paid leave in June 1997.

He resigned in 1999 and is now working at a hospital in Kent.

Dr Urquhart, of Churston Ferrers, Brixham, still works at Torbay hospital as a consultant general radiologist but has no involvement in breast cancer screening or assessment.

In a statement after the hearing, he said he sincerely apologised.