The Free State Department of Health has reacted to a video recording of a nurse who appears to be at the receiving end of a verbally abusive mother at a clinic, and have undertaken to lodge an investigation into the matter.

The two part video, shows a young woman with a child in her arms threatening to slap the nurse, while blocking a door, as the nurse loudly knocks at the same door.

With her face inches from the nurse's, the ranting woman accuses the nurse of almost dropping her child. The nurse calmly asks her to move aside so she can open the door.

The young woman continues to scream at the top of her voice as the baby starts crying, before several people burst into the room and the video ends.

The Department said "the video had left a bitter taste in our mouths as the Department of Health, because in the absence of a proper context, our Nurse is likely to be misunderstood and wrongly labelled as a rude person who does not care about the needs and dignity of our patients".

In the first part of the video, which has since gone viral on social media, the nurse appears to be  trying to explain the proper process around the administration of the vaccine, against the background of a noisy clinic. It is unclear where in the Free State the incident took place.

"As a Department, we will conduct an investigation where the Nursing Management will seek to understand and effect corrective behaviour on the part of our Nursing Staff," the statement read.

"We are concerned at the level of increased violence, abuse and harassment that is inflicted upon our Nursing Staff and we plead with the communities to respect the dignity of our Nurses as we plead with Nurses everyday to respect and uphold the dignity of our patients and clients".