A 67-year-old Indian-origin nurse, Leelamma Lal, was brutally assaulted at Palms West Hospital in Florida, leaving her with severe facial fractures, media reports said.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage and calls for stronger protections for healthcare workers, reported India Today.

The attacker, 33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury, was arrested shortly after the assault, the report said.

According to investigators, he was shirtless, shoeless, and covered in EKG leads at the time of his arrest.

Authorities revealed that Scantlebury not only physically attacked Lal but also made derogatory remarks about her Indian heritage.

As a result, he has been charged with attempted second-degree murder with a hate crime enhancement.

The incident has sparked outrage and calls for stronger protections for healthcare workers.

A petition demanding stricter safety measures and harsher penalties has already gathered over 9,500 signatures.

Healthcare advocate Dr. Cheryl Thomas-Harcum, one of the petition’s organisers, expressed deep concern over the attack. "I looked at Leela, I looked at her as helpless," she said, according to the report. "I looked at her as a woman that had devoted her life to this profession, and at the tail end of her career, she had to sustain something so vicious."

Thomas-Harcum further highlighted the alarming frequency of violence against healthcare workers. "There are people, many people, who come into a hospital and feel it's open sesame to abuse a nurse or health care worker," she said, India Today reported. "I've experienced it firsthand. I would say on a bi-weekly basis. It could even be as frequent as a week."

The Indian Nurses Association of South Florida have urged lawmakers to address the rising violence against medical staff.

Dr. Manju Samuel, the association's advisory board chair, underscored the lack of legal protections.

"The issue here is the risk to our healthcare workers because there are no specific laws to protect the staff," she said. "There is a deficiency, and that must be addressed by lawmakers."

Local legislators, including Rep. Brian Mast’s office, have been informed, with advocates stressing the urgent need for legal protections.