Eaglehawk student Mark Harrington, 20, was admitted to hospital on January 28 with abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. His GP believed, at the time, it could be a bowel obstruction.

He died seven days later of sepsis, believed to be caused by a perforated bowel.

The coroner has begun a full investigation into Mark's death, but his mother has no doubts where the responsibility lies.

Elaine Harrington believes her son would still be alive if proper diagnosis and treatment was given.

Ms Harrington, a City of Greater Bendigo councillor, said her son was given enemas for five days, with little result. She said she pleaded with hospital staff to operate and, when they did, it was too late.

Bendigo Health Care Group chief medical officer Glenn Davies said the Harringtons had the hospital's sincere sympathy.

"We have provided the family with detailed information regarding treatment and continue to be available to discuss these matters with them further at any time.

"The State Coroner is undertaking a full investigation."

Ms Harrington said the surgeon allocated to Mark did not see her son until he had been in the surgical ward four days.

"He was admitted to the ward with the expectation surgery would be performed the following day," she said.

"Instead, it did not occur, and a week later he did not leave the hospital alive.

"He was left for four days in the surgical ward and was continuously given enemas for constipation before the surgeon finally came to see him.

"Was it because Mark was a public patient?"

Ms Harrington said she continually pleaded for a change in treatment, knowing enemas were not helping.

"The medical staff should have been able to see that enemas were not effective, but it seems they ignored all the signs. Mark was at risk.

They didn't take any notice of us," she said.

Ms Harrington said by the time Mark saw a surgeon on January 31 he was in "a terrible way".

She said the surgeon contacted a Melbourne bowel specialist, who could not see him until after the weekend. This turned out to be too late.

"The surgeon did not come back to the hospital. I believe he did not want to face me," she said.

Mark pleaded with his mother to drive him to Melbourne, but he was too sick.

Ms Harringdhton said Mark's medical record on January 31 showed his bowel had ruptured. She said it also showed that the next day.

"He was left with a ruptured bowel overnight. Why didn't the surgeon act, if this was known? " she asked.

"The next morning, all of Mark's organs shut down. He had been treated with enemas for five days. The pressure his internal organs had sustained from his distended stomach was too immense, so they finally collapsed."

Ms Harrington said this then forced the surgeon into action, and Mark was rushed to the operating theatre.

"All this was too late. The rupture of the bowel had caused septicaemia and peritonitis, which meant the inside of his stomach, which included all his vital organs, had massive infection throughout them," she said.

"From surgery, Mark was transferred to the Critical Care Unit."

He never recovered.

"The infection was so great that by Wednesday, February 4, after they opened him

up for the third time, they found his body to be beyond recovery," Ms Harrington said.

"I was told he could no longer exist without the aid of artificial breathing. Just before 5pm, the machine was turned off and his life slipped away. He died at 5.10pm."

Ms Harrington said she believed Mark's death was avoidable.

"How could something quite simple and straight forward go so terribly wrong?

He was neglected of proper medical treatment," she said.

Ms Harrington is calling for an inquiry into Mark's treatment by Professor Bruce Barraclough, chairman of the Australian Council of Safety and Quality in Health Care.

Dr Davies said nothing could be done until the coroner finished investigating.