A wild monitor lizard scampered into a clinic and sparked panic among nurses.

The reptile was seen emerging from across the road and crawled through the open glass door of the building in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, on November 5.

CCTV footage shows the 5ft (1.5 metres) animal scrambling into the hallway. It reached the front of the nurse's station causing scared medics to flee.

One of them slipped as they tried to leave the room, so he pushed a plastic chair to drive the lizard away.

A worker from Penawar Ampangan Clinic said: 'We heard noise at the front lobby thinking there was a patient but one of my colleagues ran away and told us about the monitor lizard.'

The reptile went out of the building while the nurses closed the entrance.

Two healthcare workers later went to check where the animal had gone. No one, including the lizard, was hurt.

Monitor lizards are widespread across Southeast Asia and common in the region, including Malaysia, where they thrive in forests, swamps, rivers, and even urban areas.