diff --git a/data/model/health.py b/data/model/health.py
index 2b5fa14eb..d609b9283 100644
--- a/data/model/health.py
+++ b/data/model/health.py
@@ -1,16 +1,36 @@
 import logging
+from contextlib import contextmanager
 
-from data.database import TeamRole, validate_database_url
+from data.database import TeamRole, db, validate_database_url
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
+@contextmanager
+def sql_timeout(app_config, database, timeout):
+    # Apply the context manager only if PostgreSQL is used as db schema
+    if "postgresql" in app_config["DB_URI"]:
+        logger.debug("Checking for existence of team roles, timeout 5000 ms.")
+        database.execute_sql("SET statement_timeout=%s;", (timeout,))
+        try:
+            yield database
+        finally:
+            database.execute_sql("SET statement_timeout=%s;", (0,))
+    else:
+        logger.debug("Checking for existence of team roles.")
+        try:
+            yield database
+        finally:
+            pass
+
+
 def check_health(app_config):
     # Attempt to connect to the database first. If the DB is not responding,
     # using the validate_database_url will timeout quickly, as opposed to
     # making a normal connect which will just hang (thus breaking the health
     # check).
     try:
+        logger.debug("Validating database connection.")
         validate_database_url(
             app_config["DB_URI"], app_config["DB_CONNECTION_ARGS"], connect_timeout=3
         )
@@ -19,7 +39,8 @@ def check_health(app_config):
 
     # We will connect to the db, check that it contains some team role kinds
     try:
-        okay = bool(list(TeamRole.select().limit(1)))
-        return (okay, "Could not connect to the database" if not okay else None)
+        with sql_timeout(app_config, db, 5000):
+            okay = bool(list(TeamRole.select().limit(1)))
+            return (okay, "Could not execute query, timeout reached" if not okay else None)
     except Exception as ex:
         return (False, "Could not connect to the database: %s" % str(ex))