I am a medical doctor employed for 3yrs (2yrs internship+1yr community service). I am thinking of trying the MBA program but I am unsure about the career opportunities that I can pursue that might still be relevant to my original field of study (assuming I pass of-course). I assume its quite difficult to get into the "big" or mainstream business schools in SA, can I start with an inferior program( part time) within SA & hopefully pass then apply to the bigger schools after that? How much of a disadvantage is the lack of a "business related" basic degree?

Sorry, what's SA? Is that South Africa, South America, or something else? And since you posted in the distance learning forum, are you looking specifically at online programs?

Either way, you usually don't want to start with one program and finish with another; and lack of a business-related undergrad degree is not a handicap.

Its for south africa. I prefer to do distance learning so I guess an on line program could be appropriate but how far will I get with an MBA done on line? I would like to retain my current occupation to finance the course so a full time program will not work for me. From my research south africa does not have a "health aligned" MBA available, please recommend a college or business school with such an MBA available as an online or distance learning program.

Why limit yourself to MBAs fOcussed on health? That limited your choice. You are a smart guy and a general MBA will be easily applicable by you.

Indeed. I agree with Duncan. Go for a more general MBA that will provide you with a wider skillset. Having a specialized MBA, unless you absolutely need it, will probably prove to be too limiting in the long run.

There are only a handful of accredited schools in South Africa. Start by checking out these:

University of Cape Town
University of Stellenbosch Business School
Wits
Pretoria/Gordon

In terms of distance learning programs, there are many options. Henley has a center there - so their flexible learning program may be an option. Research your options here, because there are many choices: IE, Durham, Kelley, Thunderbird, Warwick...