diff --git a/test/system/220-healthcheck.bats b/test/system/220-healthcheck.bats
index 983dc3211d..7e01a5545b 100644
--- a/test/system/220-healthcheck.bats
+++ b/test/system/220-healthcheck.bats
@@ -17,22 +17,34 @@ function _check_health {
     local since="$4"
     local hc_status="$5"
 
+    # Loop-wait (up to a few seconds) for healthcheck event (#20342)
+    local timeout=5
+    while :; do
+        run_podman events --filter container=$ctrname --filter event=health_status \
+                   --since "$since" --stream=false --format "{{.HealthStatus}}"
+        # Output may be empty or multiple lines.
+        if [[ -n "$output" ]]; then
+            if [[ "${lines[-1]}" = "$hc_status" ]]; then
+                break
+            fi
+        fi
+
+        timeout=$((timeout - 1))
+        if [[ $timeout -eq 0 ]]; then
+            die "$testname - timed out waiting for '$hc_status' in podman events"
+        fi
+        sleep 1
+    done
+
+    # Got the desired status. Now verify all the healthcheck fields
     run_podman inspect --format "{{json .State.Healthcheck}}" $ctrname
 
+    defer-assertion-failures
     parse_table "$tests" | while read field expect;do
         actual=$(jq ".$field" <<<"$output")
         is "$actual" "$expect" "$testname - .State.Healthcheck.$field"
     done
-
-    # Make sure we can read the healthcheck event in podman events (#20342)
-    run_podman events --filter container=$ctrname --filter event=health_status \
-        --since "$since" --stream=false --format "{{.HealthStatus}}"
-    # Because the assert below would fail with "lines: bad array subscript" when
-    # there are no events lets special case this to provide a more meaningful error.
-    if [[ -z "$output" ]]; then
-        die "no healthcheck events"
-    fi
-    assert "${lines[-1]}" == "$hc_status" "$testname - podman events health status"
+    immediate-assertion-failures
 }
 
 @test "podman healthcheck" {
@@ -50,7 +62,7 @@ function _check_health {
     run_podman inspect $ctrname --format "{{.Config.HealthcheckOnFailureAction}}"
     is "$output" "kill" "on-failure action is set to kill"
 
-    current_time=$(date --iso-8601=seconds)
+    current_time=$(date --iso-8601=ns)
     # We can't check for 'starting' because a 1-second interval is too
     # short; it could run healthcheck before we get to our first check.
     #
@@ -65,10 +77,9 @@ Log[-1].ExitCode | 0
 Log[-1].Output   | \"Life is Good on stdout\\\nLife is Good on stderr\\\n\"
 " "$current_time" "healthy"
 
-    current_time=$(date --iso-8601=seconds)
+    current_time=$(date --iso-8601=ns)
     # Force a failure
     run_podman exec $ctrname touch /uh-oh
-    sleep 2
 
     _check_health $ctrname "First failure" "
 Status           | \"healthy\"
@@ -81,10 +92,9 @@ Log[-1].Output   | \"Uh-oh on stdout!\\\nUh-oh on stderr!\\\n\"
     # name so that the leak check below does not turn into a NOP without noticing.
     assert "$(systemctl list-units --type timer | grep $cid)" =~ "podman" "Healthcheck systemd unit exists"
 
-    current_time=$(date --iso-8601=seconds)
+    current_time=$(date --iso-8601=ns)
     # After three successive failures, container should no longer be healthy
-    sleep 5
-    _check_health $ctrname "Three or more failures" "
+    _check_health $ctrname "Four or more failures" "
 Status           | \"unhealthy\"
 FailingStreak    | [3456]
 Log[-1].ExitCode | 1