KIEV, Feb. 19 – Ukraine’s jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko is suffering from a hernia and any further delay in her proper treatment may result in the need of surgery, her daughter said Friday.

The revelation by Eugenia Tymoshenko, who was shown written conclusions by German and Canadian doctors shortly after they had examined her mother last week, comes in sharp contrast with comments by Ukrainian healthcare ministry officials.

“The ministry officials are constantly saying that she is healthy, that she can not only exercise, but also work in the prison,” Eugenia told Radio Liberty.

“But now, after the diagnosis by the German and Canadian doctors, who had come to conclusion that she has a hernia, if she is not given medical treatment and things just continue they way they are, the surgery will be needed,” Eugenia said.

This further widens a rift between Tymoshenko’s defense team and government-appointed doctors over the diagnosis and over ways to treat the illness.

Raisa Moiseyenko, a deputy healthcare minister and the government-appointed head of a medical team examining Tymoshenko, said on Thursday that “hearnia” had never been mentioned in the English-language diagnosis submitted by the German and Canadian doctors.

Moiseyenko, as the head of the team, was shown the papers submitted by the doctors.

Tymoshenko may have a herniated disc that has been causing back pain, and this may require surgery outside the prison, Ukraynska Pravda reported Wednesday citing an undisclosed source shortly after the examination by the German doctors.

A herniated disc happens when discs in the spine bulge from their proper place. This is most common in the lower spine.

The latest developments come following a clash between Tymoshenko’s defense attorneys and government-appointed doctors over whether she must be treated outside prison.

Moiseyenko said Thursday “there was no need in hospitalization and surgery.”

But Serhiy Vlasenko, Tymoshenko’s defense lawyer, accused Moiseyenko of “manipulation,” adding that the surgery may actually be required, according to the Western doctors.

Tymoshenko, in custody since August 5, 2011, was jailed to seven years in prison in October for abuse of power while ordering to sign a controversial natural gas agreement with Russia in January 2009. She lost the appeal in December and is currently serving jail sentence in the Kharkiv prison.

Tymoshenko has been complaining of acute back pain in jail for months, and at some point has also reported a mysterious rash on her body. She refused to be examined by Ukrainian doctors amid concerns her illnesses may be disclosed by prison authorities without her will. (tl/ez)