diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 25dc476b..21c8fa39 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ This default can be changed with labels:
 - `reproxy.auth` - require basic auth for the route with comma-separated `user:bcrypt_hash` pairs (generated by `htpasswd -nbB`)
 - `reproxy.assets` - set assets mapping as `web-root:location`, for example `reproxy.assets=/web:/var/www`
 - `reproxy.keep-host` - keep host header as is (`yes`, `true`, `1`) or replace with destination host (`no`, `false`, `0`)
+- `reproxy.forward-health-checks` - forward `/ping` and `/health` requests to the backend instead of reproxy handling them (`yes`, `true`, `1`). Useful when the backend has its own health check endpoints with application-specific responses.
 - `reproxy.enabled` - enable (`yes`, `true`, `1`) or disable (`no`, `false`, `0`) container from reproxy destinations.
 
 Pls note: without `--docker.auto` the destination container has to have at least one of `reproxy.*` labels to be considered as a potential destination.
@@ -172,6 +173,7 @@ This default can be changed with tags:
 - `reproxy.remote` - restrict access to the route with a list of comma-separated subnets or ips
 - `reproxy.auth` - require basic auth for the route with comma-separated `user:bcrypt_hash` pairs (generated by `htpasswd -nbB`)
 - `reproxy.ping` - ping path for the destination service.
+- `reproxy.forward-health-checks` - forward `/ping` and `/health` requests to the backend (`true`, `yes`, `1`).
 - `reproxy.enabled` - enable (`yes`, `true`, `1`) or disable (`any different value`) service from reproxy destinations.
 
 ### Compose-specific details
diff --git a/app/discovery/discovery.go b/app/discovery/discovery.go
index 2053e9b2..eb22ebb6 100644
--- a/app/discovery/discovery.go
+++ b/app/discovery/discovery.go
@@ -37,9 +37,10 @@ type URLMapper struct {
 	PingURL      string
 	MatchType    MatchType
 	RedirectType RedirectType
-	KeepHost     *bool
-	OnlyFromIPs  []string
-	AuthUsers    []string // basic auth credentials as user:bcrypt_hash pairs
+	KeepHost            *bool
+	ForwardHealthChecks bool
+	OnlyFromIPs         []string
+	AuthUsers           []string // basic auth credentials as user:bcrypt_hash pairs
 
 	AssetsLocation string // local FS root location
 	AssetsWebRoot  string // web root location
@@ -460,18 +461,19 @@ func (s *Service) extendMapper(m URLMapper) URLMapper {
 	}
 
 	res := URLMapper{
-		Server:         m.Server,
-		Dst:            strings.TrimSuffix(m.Dst, "/") + "/$1",
-		ProviderID:     m.ProviderID,
-		PingURL:        m.PingURL,
-		MatchType:      m.MatchType,
-		AssetsWebRoot:  m.AssetsWebRoot,
-		AssetsLocation: m.AssetsLocation,
-		AssetsSPA:      m.AssetsSPA,
-		RedirectType:   m.RedirectType,
-		KeepHost:       m.KeepHost,
-		OnlyFromIPs:    m.OnlyFromIPs,
-		AuthUsers:      m.AuthUsers,
+		Server:              m.Server,
+		Dst:                 strings.TrimSuffix(m.Dst, "/") + "/$1",
+		ProviderID:          m.ProviderID,
+		PingURL:             m.PingURL,
+		MatchType:           m.MatchType,
+		AssetsWebRoot:       m.AssetsWebRoot,
+		AssetsLocation:      m.AssetsLocation,
+		AssetsSPA:           m.AssetsSPA,
+		RedirectType:        m.RedirectType,
+		KeepHost:            m.KeepHost,
+		ForwardHealthChecks: m.ForwardHealthChecks,
+		OnlyFromIPs:         m.OnlyFromIPs,
+		AuthUsers:           m.AuthUsers,
 	}
 	rx, err := regexp.Compile("^" + strings.TrimSuffix(src, "/") + "/(.*)")
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/app/discovery/provider/consulcatalog/consulcatalog.go b/app/discovery/provider/consulcatalog/consulcatalog.go
index b8659667..92842c1f 100644
--- a/app/discovery/provider/consulcatalog/consulcatalog.go
+++ b/app/discovery/provider/consulcatalog/consulcatalog.go
@@ -142,6 +142,7 @@ func (cc *ConsulCatalog) List() ([]discovery.URLMapper, error) {
 		pingURL := fmt.Sprintf("http://%s:%d/ping", c.ServiceAddress, c.ServicePort)
 		server := "*"
 		var keepHost *bool
+		forwardHealthChecks := false
 		onlyFrom := []string{}
 
 		if v, ok := c.Labels["reproxy.enabled"]; ok && (v == "true" || v == "yes" || v == "1") {
@@ -191,6 +192,10 @@ func (cc *ConsulCatalog) List() ([]discovery.URLMapper, error) {
 			}
 		}
 
+		if v, ok := c.Labels["reproxy.forward-health-checks"]; ok && (v == "true" || v == "yes" || v == "1") {
+			forwardHealthChecks = true
+		}
+
 		if !enabled {
 			log.Printf("[DEBUG] service %s disabled", c.ServiceID)
 			continue
@@ -204,7 +209,8 @@ func (cc *ConsulCatalog) List() ([]discovery.URLMapper, error) {
 		// server label may have multiple, comma separated servers
 		for srv := range strings.SplitSeq(server, ",") {
 			res = append(res, discovery.URLMapper{Server: strings.TrimSpace(srv), SrcMatch: *srcRegex, Dst: destURL,
-				PingURL: pingURL, ProviderID: discovery.PIConsulCatalog, KeepHost: keepHost, OnlyFromIPs: onlyFrom, AuthUsers: authUsers})
+				PingURL: pingURL, ProviderID: discovery.PIConsulCatalog, KeepHost: keepHost,
+				ForwardHealthChecks: forwardHealthChecks, OnlyFromIPs: onlyFrom, AuthUsers: authUsers})
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/app/discovery/provider/consulcatalog/consulcatalog_test.go b/app/discovery/provider/consulcatalog/consulcatalog_test.go
index 919d2501..fbf6cfe3 100644
--- a/app/discovery/provider/consulcatalog/consulcatalog_test.go
+++ b/app/discovery/provider/consulcatalog/consulcatalog_test.go
@@ -173,6 +173,49 @@ func TestConsulCatalog_List(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, "*", res[6].Server)
 	assert.Equal(t, &fa, res[6].KeepHost)
 	assert.Equal(t, []string{}, res[6].AuthUsers)
+
+	for i := range 7 {
+		assert.False(t, res[i].ForwardHealthChecks, "route %d should not have forward-health-checks", i)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestConsulCatalog_ListForwardHealthChecks(t *testing.T) {
+	clientMock := &ConsulClientMock{GetFunc: func() ([]consulService, error) {
+		return []consulService{
+			{
+				ServiceID:      "fhc1",
+				ServiceName:    "fhcService",
+				ServiceAddress: "addr-fhc",
+				ServicePort:    9000,
+				Labels: map[string]string{
+					"reproxy.enabled":              "true",
+					"reproxy.server":               "fhc.example.com",
+					"reproxy.forward-health-checks": "true",
+				},
+			},
+			{
+				ServiceID:      "nofhc",
+				ServiceName:    "noFhcService",
+				ServiceAddress: "addr-nofhc",
+				ServicePort:    9001,
+				Labels: map[string]string{
+					"reproxy.enabled": "true",
+				},
+			},
+		}, nil
+	}}
+
+	cc := &ConsulCatalog{client: clientMock}
+	res, err := cc.List()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Len(t, res, 2)
+
+	fhcByServer := map[string]bool{}
+	for _, r := range res {
+		fhcByServer[r.Server] = r.ForwardHealthChecks
+	}
+	assert.True(t, fhcByServer["fhc.example.com"])
+	assert.False(t, fhcByServer["*"])
 }
 
 func TestConsulCatalog_serviceListWasChanged(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/app/discovery/provider/docker.go b/app/discovery/provider/docker.go
index 891b4ab1..46caa0a8 100644
--- a/app/discovery/provider/docker.go
+++ b/app/discovery/provider/docker.go
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ func (d *Docker) parseContainerInfo(c containerInfo) (res []discovery.URLMapper)
 		// defaults
 		destURL, pingURL, server := fmt.Sprintf("http://%s:%d/$1", c.IP, port), fmt.Sprintf("http://%s:%d/ping", c.IP, port), "*"
 		assetsWebRoot, assetsLocation, assetsSPA := "", "", false
+		forwardHealthChecks := false
 		onlyFrom := []string{}
 
 		if d.AutoAPI && n == 0 {
@@ -172,6 +173,10 @@ func (d *Docker) parseContainerInfo(c containerInfo) (res []discovery.URLMapper)
 
 		keepHost := d.getKeepHostValue(c.Labels, n)
 
+		if _, ok := d.labelN(c.Labels, n, "forward-health-checks"); ok {
+			forwardHealthChecks = true
+		}
+
 		if !enabled {
 			continue
 		}
@@ -186,7 +191,7 @@ func (d *Docker) parseContainerInfo(c containerInfo) (res []discovery.URLMapper)
 		for srv := range strings.SplitSeq(server, ",") {
 			mp := discovery.URLMapper{Server: strings.TrimSpace(srv), SrcMatch: *srcRegex, Dst: destURL,
 				PingURL: pingURL, ProviderID: discovery.PIDocker, MatchType: discovery.MTProxy,
-				KeepHost: keepHost, OnlyFromIPs: onlyFrom, AuthUsers: authUsers}
+				KeepHost: keepHost, ForwardHealthChecks: forwardHealthChecks, OnlyFromIPs: onlyFrom, AuthUsers: authUsers}
 
 			// for assets we add the second proxy mapping only if explicitly requested
 			if assetsWebRoot != "" && explicit {
diff --git a/app/discovery/provider/docker_test.go b/app/discovery/provider/docker_test.go
index 25b33e02..a2a2dc9b 100644
--- a/app/discovery/provider/docker_test.go
+++ b/app/discovery/provider/docker_test.go
@@ -205,6 +205,65 @@ func TestDocker_ListMulti(t *testing.T) {
 
 	assert.Equal(t, "^/kn/", res[7].SrcMatch.String())
 	assert.False(t, *res[7].KeepHost)
+
+	for i := range 8 {
+		assert.False(t, res[i].ForwardHealthChecks, "route %d should not have forward-health-checks", i)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDocker_ListForwardHealthChecks(t *testing.T) {
+	dclient := &DockerClientMock{
+		ListContainersFunc: func() ([]containerInfo, error) {
+			return []containerInfo{
+				{
+					Name: "abs", State: "running", IP: "127.0.0.10", Ports: []int{8080},
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"reproxy.server":                 "abs.example.com",
+						"reproxy.route":                  "^/(.*)",
+						"reproxy.dest":                   "/$1",
+						"reproxy.forward-health-checks":  "yes",
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					Name: "normal", State: "running", IP: "127.0.0.11", Ports: []int{8080},
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"reproxy.server": "normal.example.com",
+						"reproxy.route":  "^/(.*)",
+						"reproxy.dest":   "/$1",
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					Name: "multi", State: "running", IP: "127.0.0.12", Ports: []int{8080},
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"reproxy.0.route":                  "^/api/(.*)",
+						"reproxy.0.dest":                   "/api/$1",
+						"reproxy.1.route":                  "^/web/(.*)",
+						"reproxy.1.dest":                   "/web/$1",
+						"reproxy.1.forward-health-checks":  "true",
+					},
+				},
+			}, nil
+		},
+	}
+
+	d := Docker{DockerClient: dclient}
+	res, err := d.List()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Len(t, res, 4)
+
+	fhcByServer := map[string]bool{}
+	for _, r := range res {
+		fhcByServer[r.Server] = r.ForwardHealthChecks
+	}
+	assert.True(t, fhcByServer["abs.example.com"], "abs.example.com should have forward-health-checks")
+	assert.False(t, fhcByServer["normal.example.com"], "normal.example.com should not have forward-health-checks")
+
+	fhcByRoute := map[string]bool{}
+	for _, r := range res {
+		fhcByRoute[r.SrcMatch.String()] = r.ForwardHealthChecks
+	}
+	assert.False(t, fhcByRoute["^/api/(.*)"], "multi route 0 should not have forward-health-checks")
+	assert.True(t, fhcByRoute["^/web/(.*)"], "multi route 1 should have forward-health-checks")
 }
 
 func TestDocker_ListMultiFallBack(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/app/discovery/provider/file.go b/app/discovery/provider/file.go
index 5ecdf442..385b6973 100644
--- a/app/discovery/provider/file.go
+++ b/app/discovery/provider/file.go
@@ -81,12 +81,13 @@ func (d *File) List() (res []discovery.URLMapper, err error) {
 	var fileConf map[string][]struct {
 		SourceRoute   string `yaml:"route"`
 		Dest          string `yaml:"dest"`
-		Ping          string `yaml:"ping"`
-		AssetsEnabled bool   `yaml:"assets"`
-		AssetsSPA     bool   `yaml:"spa"`
-		KeepHost      *bool  `yaml:"keep-host,omitempty"`
-		OnlyFrom      string `yaml:"remote"`
-		Auth          string `yaml:"auth"`
+		Ping                string `yaml:"ping"`
+		AssetsEnabled       bool   `yaml:"assets"`
+		AssetsSPA           bool   `yaml:"spa"`
+		KeepHost            *bool  `yaml:"keep-host,omitempty"`
+		ForwardHealthChecks bool   `yaml:"forward-health-checks"`
+		OnlyFrom            string `yaml:"remote"`
+		Auth                string `yaml:"auth"`
 	}
 	fh, err := os.Open(d.FileName)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -109,15 +110,16 @@ func (d *File) List() (res []discovery.URLMapper, err error) {
 				srv = "*"
 			}
 			mapper := discovery.URLMapper{
-				Server:      srv,
-				SrcMatch:    *rx,
-				Dst:         f.Dest,
-				PingURL:     f.Ping,
-				KeepHost:    f.KeepHost,
-				ProviderID:  discovery.PIFile,
-				MatchType:   discovery.MTProxy,
-				OnlyFromIPs: discovery.ParseOnlyFrom(f.OnlyFrom),
-				AuthUsers:   discovery.ParseAuth(f.Auth),
+				Server:              srv,
+				SrcMatch:            *rx,
+				Dst:                 f.Dest,
+				PingURL:             f.Ping,
+				KeepHost:            f.KeepHost,
+				ForwardHealthChecks: f.ForwardHealthChecks,
+				ProviderID:          discovery.PIFile,
+				MatchType:           discovery.MTProxy,
+				OnlyFromIPs:         discovery.ParseOnlyFrom(f.OnlyFrom),
+				AuthUsers:           discovery.ParseAuth(f.Auth),
 			}
 			if f.AssetsEnabled || f.AssetsSPA {
 				mapper.MatchType = discovery.MTStatic
diff --git a/app/discovery/provider/file_test.go b/app/discovery/provider/file_test.go
index 9ce72a51..b5f67de1 100644
--- a/app/discovery/provider/file_test.go
+++ b/app/discovery/provider/file_test.go
@@ -103,59 +103,79 @@ func TestFile_List(t *testing.T) {
 	res, err := f.List()
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	t.Logf("%+v", res)
-	assert.Len(t, res, 6)
-
-	// sorted by server name length, auth.example.com comes first (same length as srv.example.com but alphabetically first)
-	assert.Equal(t, "^/api/(.*)", res[0].SrcMatch.String())
-	assert.Equal(t, "http://127.0.0.4:8080/$1", res[0].Dst)
-	assert.Empty(t, res[0].PingURL)
-	assert.Equal(t, "auth.example.com", res[0].Server)
-	assert.Equal(t, discovery.MTProxy, res[0].MatchType)
-	assert.Nil(t, res[0].KeepHost)
-	assert.Equal(t, []string{}, res[0].OnlyFromIPs)
-	assert.Equal(t, []string{"user1:$2y$05$hash1", "user2:$2y$05$hash2"}, res[0].AuthUsers)
-
-	assert.Equal(t, "^/api/svc2/(.*)", res[1].SrcMatch.String())
-	assert.Equal(t, "http://127.0.0.2:8080/blah2/$1/abc", res[1].Dst)
-	assert.Empty(t, res[1].PingURL)
-	assert.Equal(t, "srv.example.com", res[1].Server)
-	assert.Equal(t, discovery.MTProxy, res[1].MatchType)
-	assert.Nil(t, res[1].KeepHost)
-	assert.Equal(t, []string{}, res[1].OnlyFromIPs)
-	assert.Equal(t, []string{}, res[1].AuthUsers)
-
-	assert.Equal(t, "^/api/svc1/(.*)", res[2].SrcMatch.String())
-	assert.Equal(t, "http://127.0.0.1:8080/blah1/$1", res[2].Dst)
-	assert.Empty(t, res[2].PingURL)
-	assert.Equal(t, "*", res[2].Server)
-	assert.Equal(t, discovery.MTProxy, res[2].MatchType)
-	assert.Nil(t, res[2].KeepHost)
-	assert.Equal(t, []string{}, res[2].OnlyFromIPs)
-	assert.Equal(t, []string{}, res[2].AuthUsers)
-
-	assert.Equal(t, "/api/svc3/xyz", res[3].SrcMatch.String())
-	assert.Equal(t, "http://127.0.0.3:8080/blah3/xyz", res[3].Dst)
-	assert.Equal(t, "http://127.0.0.3:8080/ping", res[3].PingURL)
-	assert.Equal(t, "*", res[3].Server)
-	assert.Equal(t, discovery.MTProxy, res[3].MatchType)
-	assert.Nil(t, res[3].KeepHost)
-	assert.Equal(t, []string{}, res[3].OnlyFromIPs)
-
-	assert.Equal(t, "/web/", res[4].SrcMatch.String())
-	assert.Equal(t, "/var/web", res[4].Dst)
-	assert.Empty(t, res[4].PingURL)
-	assert.Equal(t, "*", res[4].Server)
-	assert.Equal(t, discovery.MTStatic, res[4].MatchType)
-	assert.False(t, res[4].AssetsSPA)
-	assert.Equal(t, []string{"192.168.1.0/24", "124.0.0.1"}, res[4].OnlyFromIPs)
-	assert.True(t, *res[4].KeepHost)
-
-	assert.Equal(t, "/web2/", res[5].SrcMatch.String())
-	assert.Equal(t, "/var/web2", res[5].Dst)
-	assert.Empty(t, res[5].PingURL)
-	assert.Equal(t, "*", res[5].Server)
-	assert.Equal(t, discovery.MTStatic, res[5].MatchType)
-	assert.True(t, res[5].AssetsSPA)
-	assert.Empty(t, res[5].OnlyFromIPs)
-	assert.False(t, *res[5].KeepHost)
+	assert.Len(t, res, 7)
+
+	// build a lookup by server name for the first 3 entries (same-length server names, order is non-deterministic)
+	byServer := map[string]discovery.URLMapper{}
+	for _, m := range res {
+		byServer[m.Server] = m
+	}
+
+	authEntry := byServer["auth.example.com"]
+	assert.Equal(t, "^/api/(.*)", authEntry.SrcMatch.String())
+	assert.Equal(t, "http://127.0.0.4:8080/$1", authEntry.Dst)
+	assert.Empty(t, authEntry.PingURL)
+	assert.Equal(t, discovery.MTProxy, authEntry.MatchType)
+	assert.Nil(t, authEntry.KeepHost)
+	assert.False(t, authEntry.ForwardHealthChecks)
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{}, authEntry.OnlyFromIPs)
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{"user1:$2y$05$hash1", "user2:$2y$05$hash2"}, authEntry.AuthUsers)
+
+	fhcEntry := byServer["fhc.example.com"]
+	assert.Equal(t, "^/(.*)", fhcEntry.SrcMatch.String())
+	assert.Equal(t, "http://127.0.0.5:8080/$1", fhcEntry.Dst)
+	assert.Empty(t, fhcEntry.PingURL)
+	assert.Equal(t, discovery.MTProxy, fhcEntry.MatchType)
+	assert.True(t, fhcEntry.ForwardHealthChecks)
+
+	srvEntry := byServer["srv.example.com"]
+	assert.Equal(t, "^/api/svc2/(.*)", srvEntry.SrcMatch.String())
+	assert.Equal(t, "http://127.0.0.2:8080/blah2/$1/abc", srvEntry.Dst)
+	assert.Empty(t, srvEntry.PingURL)
+	assert.Equal(t, discovery.MTProxy, srvEntry.MatchType)
+	assert.Nil(t, srvEntry.KeepHost)
+	assert.False(t, srvEntry.ForwardHealthChecks)
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{}, srvEntry.OnlyFromIPs)
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{}, srvEntry.AuthUsers)
+
+	// the remaining entries have server "*" and are in deterministic order (sorted by route length)
+	starEntries := []discovery.URLMapper{}
+	for _, m := range res {
+		if m.Server == "*" {
+			starEntries = append(starEntries, m)
+		}
+	}
+	require.Len(t, starEntries, 4)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "^/api/svc1/(.*)", starEntries[0].SrcMatch.String())
+	assert.Equal(t, "http://127.0.0.1:8080/blah1/$1", starEntries[0].Dst)
+	assert.Empty(t, starEntries[0].PingURL)
+	assert.Equal(t, discovery.MTProxy, starEntries[0].MatchType)
+	assert.Nil(t, starEntries[0].KeepHost)
+	assert.False(t, starEntries[0].ForwardHealthChecks)
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{}, starEntries[0].OnlyFromIPs)
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{}, starEntries[0].AuthUsers)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "/api/svc3/xyz", starEntries[1].SrcMatch.String())
+	assert.Equal(t, "http://127.0.0.3:8080/blah3/xyz", starEntries[1].Dst)
+	assert.Equal(t, "http://127.0.0.3:8080/ping", starEntries[1].PingURL)
+	assert.Equal(t, discovery.MTProxy, starEntries[1].MatchType)
+	assert.Nil(t, starEntries[1].KeepHost)
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{}, starEntries[1].OnlyFromIPs)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "/web/", starEntries[2].SrcMatch.String())
+	assert.Equal(t, "/var/web", starEntries[2].Dst)
+	assert.Empty(t, starEntries[2].PingURL)
+	assert.Equal(t, discovery.MTStatic, starEntries[2].MatchType)
+	assert.False(t, starEntries[2].AssetsSPA)
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{"192.168.1.0/24", "124.0.0.1"}, starEntries[2].OnlyFromIPs)
+	assert.True(t, *starEntries[2].KeepHost)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "/web2/", starEntries[3].SrcMatch.String())
+	assert.Equal(t, "/var/web2", starEntries[3].Dst)
+	assert.Empty(t, starEntries[3].PingURL)
+	assert.Equal(t, discovery.MTStatic, starEntries[3].MatchType)
+	assert.True(t, starEntries[3].AssetsSPA)
+	assert.Empty(t, starEntries[3].OnlyFromIPs)
+	assert.False(t, *starEntries[3].KeepHost)
 }
diff --git a/app/discovery/provider/static.go b/app/discovery/provider/static.go
index 664f7490..deeef4b6 100644
--- a/app/discovery/provider/static.go
+++ b/app/discovery/provider/static.go
@@ -9,9 +9,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/umputun/reproxy/app/discovery"
 )
 
-// Static provider, rules are server,source_url,destination[,ping]
+// Static provider, rules are server,source_url,destination[,ping[,forward-health-checks]]
 type Static struct {
-	Rules []string // each rule is 4 elements comma separated - server,source_url,destination,ping
+	Rules []string // each rule is up to 5 elements comma separated - server,source_url,destination,ping,forward-health-checks
 }
 
 // Events returns channel updating once
@@ -24,17 +24,21 @@ func (s *Static) Events(_ context.Context) <-chan discovery.ProviderID {
 // List all src dst pairs
 func (s *Static) List() (res []discovery.URLMapper, err error) {
 
-	// inp is 4 elements string server,source_url,destination,ping
-	// the last one can be omitted if no ping required
+	// inp is up to 5 elements string server,source_url,destination[,ping[,forward-health-checks]]
+	// ping and forward-health-checks can be omitted
 	parse := func(inp string) (discovery.URLMapper, error) {
 		elems := strings.Split(inp, ",")
 		if len(elems) < 3 {
 			return discovery.URLMapper{}, fmt.Errorf("invalid rule %q", inp)
 		}
 		pingURL := ""
-		if len(elems) == 4 {
+		if len(elems) >= 4 {
 			pingURL = strings.TrimSpace(elems[3])
 		}
+		forwardHealthChecks := false
+		if len(elems) >= 5 {
+			forwardHealthChecks = strings.TrimSpace(elems[4]) != ""
+		}
 		rx, err := regexp.Compile(strings.TrimSpace(elems[1]))
 		if err != nil {
 			return discovery.URLMapper{}, fmt.Errorf("can't parse regex %s: %w", elems[1], err)
@@ -53,12 +57,13 @@ func (s *Static) List() (res []discovery.URLMapper, err error) {
 		}
 
 		res := discovery.URLMapper{
-			Server:     strings.TrimSpace(elems[0]),
-			SrcMatch:   *rx,
-			Dst:        dst,
-			PingURL:    pingURL,
-			ProviderID: discovery.PIStatic,
-			MatchType:  discovery.MTProxy,
+			Server:              strings.TrimSpace(elems[0]),
+			SrcMatch:            *rx,
+			Dst:                 dst,
+			PingURL:             pingURL,
+			ForwardHealthChecks: forwardHealthChecks,
+			ProviderID:          discovery.PIStatic,
+			MatchType:           discovery.MTProxy,
 		}
 		if assets {
 			res.MatchType = discovery.MTStatic
diff --git a/app/discovery/provider/static_test.go b/app/discovery/provider/static_test.go
index 0b0137be..31fa414a 100644
--- a/app/discovery/provider/static_test.go
+++ b/app/discovery/provider/static_test.go
@@ -16,16 +16,19 @@ func TestStatic_List(t *testing.T) {
 		rule                   string
 		server, src, dst, ping string
 		static, spa            bool
+		forwardHealthChecks    bool
 		err                    bool
 	}{
-		{"example.com,123,456, ping ", "example.com", "123", "456", "ping", false, false, false},
-		{"*,123,456,", "*", "123", "456", "", false, false, false},
-		{"123,456", "", "", "", "", false, false, true},
-		{"123", "", "", "", "", false, false, true},
-		{"example.com , 123, 456 ,ping", "example.com", "123", "456", "ping", false, false, false},
-		{"example.com,123, assets:456, ping ", "example.com", "123", "456", "ping", true, false, false},
-		{"example.com,123, assets:456 ", "example.com", "123", "456", "", true, false, false},
-		{"example.com,123, spa:456 ", "example.com", "123", "456", "", true, true, false},
+		{"example.com,123,456, ping ", "example.com", "123", "456", "ping", false, false, false, false},
+		{"*,123,456,", "*", "123", "456", "", false, false, false, false},
+		{"123,456", "", "", "", "", false, false, false, true},
+		{"123", "", "", "", "", false, false, false, true},
+		{"example.com , 123, 456 ,ping", "example.com", "123", "456", "ping", false, false, false, false},
+		{"example.com,123, assets:456, ping ", "example.com", "123", "456", "ping", true, false, false, false},
+		{"example.com,123, assets:456 ", "example.com", "123", "456", "", true, false, false, false},
+		{"example.com,123, spa:456 ", "example.com", "123", "456", "", true, true, false, false},
+		{"example.com,^/(.*),/$1,/ping,true", "example.com", "^/(.*)", "/$1", "/ping", false, false, true, false},
+		{"example.com,^/(.*),/$1,,yes", "example.com", "^/(.*)", "/$1", "", false, false, true, false},
 	}
 
 	for i, tt := range tbl {
@@ -41,6 +44,7 @@ func TestStatic_List(t *testing.T) {
 			assert.Equal(t, tt.src, res[0].SrcMatch.String())
 			assert.Equal(t, tt.dst, res[0].Dst)
 			assert.Equal(t, tt.ping, res[0].PingURL)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.forwardHealthChecks, res[0].ForwardHealthChecks)
 			if tt.static {
 				assert.Equal(t, discovery.MTStatic, res[0].MatchType)
 				assert.Equal(t, tt.spa, res[0].AssetsSPA)
diff --git a/app/discovery/provider/testdata/config.yml b/app/discovery/provider/testdata/config.yml
index d9528203..8fbc15fd 100644
--- a/app/discovery/provider/testdata/config.yml
+++ b/app/discovery/provider/testdata/config.yml
@@ -7,3 +7,5 @@ srv.example.com:
   - {route: "^/api/svc2/(.*)", dest: "http://127.0.0.2:8080/blah2/$1/abc"}
 auth.example.com:
   - {route: "^/api/(.*)", dest: "http://127.0.0.4:8080/$1", auth: "user1:$2y$05$hash1, user2:$2y$05$hash2"}
+fhc.example.com:
+  - {route: "^/(.*)", dest: "http://127.0.0.5:8080/$1", forward-health-checks: true}
diff --git a/app/proxy/health.go b/app/proxy/health.go
index f32e2264..eaec2265 100644
--- a/app/proxy/health.go
+++ b/app/proxy/health.go
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ import (
 func (h *Http) healthMiddleware(next http.Handler) http.Handler {
 	fn := func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		if r.Method == "GET" && strings.EqualFold(r.URL.Path, "/health") {
+			if h.shouldForwardHealthChecks(r) {
+				next.ServeHTTP(w, r)
+				return
+			}
 			h.healthHandler(w, r)
 			return
 		}
@@ -66,8 +70,11 @@ func (h *Http) healthHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
 // pingHandler middleware response with pong to /ping. Stops chain if ping request detected
 func (h *Http) pingHandler(next http.Handler) http.Handler {
 	fn := func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
-
 		if r.Method == "GET" && strings.EqualFold(r.URL.Path, "/ping") {
+			if h.shouldForwardHealthChecks(r) {
+				next.ServeHTTP(w, r)
+				return
+			}
 			w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "text/plain")
 			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
 			_, _ = w.Write([]byte("pong"))
@@ -77,3 +84,18 @@ func (h *Http) pingHandler(next http.Handler) http.Handler {
 	}
 	return http.HandlerFunc(fn)
 }
+
+// shouldForwardHealthChecks checks if the request matches a route with ForwardHealthChecks enabled
+func (h *Http) shouldForwardHealthChecks(r *http.Request) bool {
+	server := r.URL.Hostname()
+	if server == "" {
+		server = strings.Split(r.Host, ":")[0]
+	}
+	matches := h.Match(server, r.URL.EscapedPath())
+	for _, route := range matches.Routes {
+		if route.Mapper.ForwardHealthChecks {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
diff --git a/app/proxy/health_test.go b/app/proxy/health_test.go
index c10df6d6..62076251 100644
--- a/app/proxy/health_test.go
+++ b/app/proxy/health_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"math/rand"
+	"net"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/httptest"
 	"strconv"
@@ -169,3 +170,96 @@ func TestHttp_pingHandler(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, "pong", string(b))
 }
+
+func TestHttp_pingForwardHealthChecks(t *testing.T) {
+	backend := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"success": true}`))
+	}))
+	defer backend.Close()
+
+	ln, err := net.Listen("tcp", "127.0.0.1:0")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	port := ln.Addr().(*net.TCPAddr).Port
+	ln.Close()
+
+	h := Http{Timeouts: Timeouts{ResponseHeader: 200 * time.Millisecond}, Address: fmt.Sprintf("127.0.0.1:%d", port)}
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	svc := discovery.NewService([]discovery.Provider{
+		&provider.Static{Rules: []string{
+			fmt.Sprintf("fhc.example.com,^/(.*),%s/$1,,true", backend.URL),
+			"normal.example.com,^/(.*),http://127.0.0.1:9999/$1,",
+		}},
+	}, time.Millisecond*10)
+
+	go func() {
+		_ = svc.Run(ctx)
+	}()
+	time.Sleep(20 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	h.Matcher = svc
+	h.Metrics = mgmt.NewMetrics(mgmt.MetricsConfig{})
+
+	go func() {
+		_ = h.Run(ctx)
+	}()
+
+	client := http.Client{}
+
+	t.Run("ping forwarded to backend when forward-health-checks enabled", func(t *testing.T) {
+		var resp *http.Response
+		require.Eventually(t, func() bool {
+			req, e := http.NewRequest("GET", fmt.Sprintf("http://127.0.0.1:%d/ping", port), http.NoBody)
+			if e != nil {
+				return false
+			}
+			req.Host = "fhc.example.com"
+			resp, e = client.Do(req)
+			return e == nil
+		}, time.Second, 10*time.Millisecond, "server failed to start")
+		defer resp.Body.Close()
+		assert.Equal(t, http.StatusOK, resp.StatusCode)
+		b, e := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		require.NoError(t, e)
+		assert.Equal(t, `{"success": true}`, string(b))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("health forwarded to backend when forward-health-checks enabled", func(t *testing.T) {
+		req, e := http.NewRequest("GET", fmt.Sprintf("http://127.0.0.1:%d/health", port), http.NoBody)
+		require.NoError(t, e)
+		req.Host = "fhc.example.com"
+		resp, e := client.Do(req)
+		require.NoError(t, e)
+		defer resp.Body.Close()
+		b, e := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		require.NoError(t, e)
+		assert.Equal(t, `{"success": true}`, string(b))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("ping returns pong for host without forward-health-checks", func(t *testing.T) {
+		req, e := http.NewRequest("GET", fmt.Sprintf("http://127.0.0.1:%d/ping", port), http.NoBody)
+		require.NoError(t, e)
+		req.Host = "normal.example.com"
+		resp, e := client.Do(req)
+		require.NoError(t, e)
+		defer resp.Body.Close()
+		b, e := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		require.NoError(t, e)
+		assert.Equal(t, "pong", string(b))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("ping returns pong for unmatched host", func(t *testing.T) {
+		req, e := http.NewRequest("GET", fmt.Sprintf("http://127.0.0.1:%d/ping", port), http.NoBody)
+		require.NoError(t, e)
+		req.Host = "unknown.example.com"
+		resp, e := client.Do(req)
+		require.NoError(t, e)
+		defer resp.Body.Close()
+		b, e := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		require.NoError(t, e)
+		assert.Equal(t, "pong", string(b))
+	})
+}