Nearly 200 patients in the Western Trust area of Northern Ireland have received approval for surgery under a cross-border reimbursement programme.

The Waiting List Reimbursement Scheme began in June. It enables patients to undergo procedures in the Republic of Ireland and recover costs from the Northern Ireland National Health Service.

The Department of Health started the initiative to address long waiting lists for various operations.

Figures show applicants from the Western Trust area, which covers Tyrone and other counties, account for almost 200 of the approvals issued so far.

The Department of Health released the data broken down by Northern Ireland's five health regions.

West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan prompted the disclosure through a question at the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Procedures include knee replacements, hip replacements, hernia repairs, foot surgeries and hand surgeries.